Travels in Tartary, Thibet, and China, during the years 1844-5-6

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HUG'S TRAVELS IN TARTARY, THIBET, AND
CHINA, IN 1844-5-6.

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TARTAR AND CHINESE COSTUMES.

TRAVELS

3N

TARTARY, THIBET, AND CHINA.

ILLUSTRATED.

MM. OABET AND HCC.

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OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL ILLUSTRATED LIBRARY,

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TKAVELS.

IN

TARTARY, THIBET, AND CHINA,

DURING THE YEARS 1844-5-6,

BY M. HUC.

TRANSLATED FEOII THE EEENCH BY W. HAZLITT.

VOL. I.

ILLUSTRATED WITH FIFTY ENGRAVINGS ON WOOD.

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PREFACE,

The Pope having, about the year 1844, been pleased to esta-
blish an Apostolic Vicariat of Mongolia, it was considereil
expedient, with a view to further operations, to ascertain the
nature and extent of the diocese thus created, and MM. Gabet
and Hue, two Lazarists attached to the petty mission of
Si-Wang, were accordingly deputed to collect the neces-
sary information. They made their way through difficul-
ties which nothing but relictions enthusiasm in combination

o o

with French elasticity could have overcome, to Lha-Ssa, the
capital of Thibet, and in this seat of Lamanism were becoming
comfortably settled, with lively hopes and expectations of
converting the Talé-Lama into a branch-Pope, when the
Chinese Minister, the noted Ke-Shen, interposed on political
grounds, and had them deported to China. M. Gabet was
directed by his superiors to proceed to France, and lay a com-
plaint before his Government, of the arbitrary treatment
which he and his fellow Missionary had experienced. In the
steamer which conveyed him from Hong Kong to Ceylon, he
found Mr. Alexander Johnstone, secretary to Her Majesty's

Il PEEFACE.

Pleuipotentiaiy in China; and this gentleman perceived so
much, not merely of entertainment, but of important informa-
tion in tlie conversations he had with M. G abet, that he com-
mitted to paper the leading features of the Reverend Mis-
sionary's statements, and on his return to his official post, gave
his manuscripts to Sir John Davis, who, in his turn, considered
their contents so interesting, that he embodied a copy of them
in a dispatch to Lord Palmerston. Subsequently the two
volumes, here translated, were prepared by M. Hue, and pub-
lished in Paris. Thus it is, that to Papal aggression in the
East, the Western World is indebted for a work exhibiting,
for the first time, a complete representation of countries
previously almost unknown to Europeans, and indeed con-
sidered practically inaccessible ; and of a religion, which,
followed by no fewer than 170,000,000 persons, presents the
most singular analogies in its leading features with the
Catholicism of Eome.

CONTENTS OF VOLUME I

PAGE
Prefack

Contents . iii

List of Illustrations . . , vii

CHAPTER I.

French Mission of Peking — Glance at the Kingdom of Ouniot — Preparations
for Departure — Tartar-Chinese Inn — Change of Costume — Portrait and
Character of Samdadchiemba — Sain-Oula (the Good Mountain) — The
Frosts on Saiu-Oula, and its Robbers — First Encampment in the
Desert — Great Imperial Forest — Buddhist Monuments on the summit
of the Mountains — Topography of the Kingdom of Gechekten — Character
of its Inhabitants — Tragical working of a Mine — Two Mongols desire
to have their horoscope taken — Adventure of Samdadchiemba — En-
virons of the town of Tolon-Noor

CHAPTER II.

Inn at Tolon-Noor — Aspect of the City — Great Foundries of Bells and
Idols — Conversation with the Lamas of Tolon-Noor — Encampment —
Tea Bricks — Meeting with Queen Mourguevan — Taste of the Mongols
for Pilgrimages — Violent Storm — Account from a Mongol Chief of the
War of the English against China — Topography of the Eight Banners
of the Tchakar — The Imperial Herds — Fonn and Interior of the Tents
— Tartar Manners and Customs — Encampment at the Three Lakes —
Nocturnal Apparitions — Samdadchiemba relates the Adventures of his
Youth — Grey Squirrels of Tartary — Arrival at Chaborté 33

]V CONTENTS.

CHAPTER III.

I'AGK

Festival of the Loaves of the Moon — Entertainment in a Mongol Tent —
Toolholos, or Rhapsodists of Tartary — Invocation to Timour — Tartar
Education — Industry of the Women — Mongols in quest of missing
Animals — Remains of an abandoned City — Road from Peking to
Kiaktha — Commerce between China and Russia — Russian Convent at
Peking — A Tartar solicits us to cure his Mother from a dangerous
Illness — Tartar Physicians — The Intermittent Fever Devil — Various
forms of Sepulture in use among the Mongols — Lamasery of the Five
Towers — Obsequies of the Tartar Kings — Origin of the kingdom of
Efe — Gymnastic Exercises of the Tartars — Encounter with three
Wolves — Mongol Carts . (;l

CHAPTER IV.

Young Lama converted to Christianity — Lamasery of Tchortchi — Alms for
the Construction of Religious Houses — Aspect of the Buddhist Temples
— Recitation of Lama Prayers — Decorations, Paintings, and Sculptures
of the Buddhist Temples — Topography of the Great Kouren in the
country of the Khalkhas — Journey of the Guison-Tamba to Peking —
The Kouren of the Thousand Lamas — Suit between the Lama- King and
his Ministers — Purchase of a Kid — Eagles of Tartaiy — Western
Toumet — Agricultural Tartars— Arrival at the Blue Town — Glance at
the Mantchou Nation — Mantchou Literature — State of Christianity in
Mantchouria — Topography and producrtions of Eastern Tartary — Skill
of the Mantchous with the Bow ^ô

CHAPTER V.

i'he Old Blue Town — Quarter of the Tanners— Knavery of the Chinese
Traders— Hotel of the Three Perfections— Spoliation of the Tartars by
the Chinese — Money Changer's Office — Tartar Coiner — Purchase of
two Sheep-skin Robes — Camel Market — Customs of the Cameleers —
Assassination of a Grand Lama of the Blue Town — Insurrection of the
Lamaseries — Négociation b- tween the Court of Peking and that of
Lha-Ssa — Domestic Lamas — Wandering Lamas — Lamas in Community
— Policy of the Mantchou Dynasty with reference to the Lamaseries —
Interview with a Thibetian Lama — Departure from the Blue Town . 1 ( 19

CHAPTER VI.

A Tartar-cater— Loss of Arsala.i — Great Caravan of Camels — Night Arn-
val at Tchagan-Kouren— We are refused Admission into the Inns — We
take up our abode with a Sheoherd — Oveiflow of the YeJlow River —

CONTENTS.

PACK

Aspect of Tchagan-Konren— Departure across the Marshes— Hiring a
Bark — Arrival on the Banks of the Yellow River — Encampment under
the Portico of a Pagoda— Embarkation of the Camels— Passage of the
Yellow River — Laborious Journey across the Inundated Country —
Encampment on the Banks of the River . . J-iS

CHAPTER VII.

Mercurial Preparation for the Destruction of Lice — Dirtiness of the Mongols
— Lama Notions about the Metempsychosis — Washing — Regulations of
Nomadic Life — Aquatic and Passage Birds — The Yuen-Yang — The
Dragon's Foot — Fishermen of the Paga-Gol — Fishing Party — Fisherman
Bit by a Dog— Kou-Kouo, or St. Ignatius's Bean— Preparations for
Departure — Passage of the Paga-Gol — Dangers of the Voyage — Devo-
tion of Samdadchiemba — The Prime Minister of the King of the
Ortous — Encampment 147

CHAPTER VIII.

Glance at the Country of the Ortous — Cultivated Lan is— Sterile, sandy
steppes of the Ortous— Foito of the Tartar-Mongol Government —
Nobility— Slavery— A small Lamasery— Election and Enthronization
of a Living Buddha— Discipline of the Lamaseries — Lama Studies —
Violent Storm— Shelter in some Artificial Grottoes— Tartar concealed
in a Cavern — Tartaro-Chinese Anecdote — Ceremonies of Tartar Mar-
riages — Polygamy — Divorce — Character and Costume of the Mongol
Women l(j.>

CHAPTER IX.

Departure of the Caravan — Encampment in a fertile Valley — Intensity of
the Cold — Meeting with numerous Pilgrims — Barbarous and Diabolical
Ceremonies of Lamanism — Project for the Lamasery of Rache-Tchurin
— Dispersion and rallying of the little Caravan — Anger of Samdad-
chiemba — Aspect of the Lamasery of Rache-Tchurin — Different Kinds of
Pilgrimages around the Lamaseries — Turning Prayers — Quarrel between
two Lamas — Similarity of the Soil — Description of the Tabsoun-Noor
or Salt Sea — Remarks on the Camels of Tartary i88

CHAPTER X.

Purchase of a Sheep — A Mongol Butcher — Great Feast à la Tartare —
Tartar Veterinary Surgeons — Strange Cure of a Cow — Depth of the
Wells of the Ortous — Manner of Watering the Animals — Encampment

Yl CONTENTS.

PAGE

at the Hundred Wells — Meeting with the King of the Alechan — Annual
Embassies of the Tartar Sovereigns to Peking — Grand Ceremony in the
Temple of the Ancestors — The Emperor gives Counterfeit Money to the
Mongol Kings — Inspection of our Geogi'aphical Map — The Devil's
Cistern — Purification of the Water — A Lame Dog — Curious Aspect of
the Mountains — Passage of the Yellow Eiver 210

CHAPTER XI.
Sketch of the Tartar Nations 237

CHAPTER XII.

Hotel of Justice and Mercy — Province of Kan-Sou — Agriculture — Great
Works for the Irrigation of the Fields — Manner of Living in Inns
— Great Confusion in a Town caused by our Camels — Chinese Life-
guard — Mandarin Inspector of the Public Works — Ning-Hia — His-
torical and Topographical Details — Inn of the Five Felicities — Contest
with a Mandarin, Tchong-Wei — Immense Mountains of Sand — Road
to Ih — Unfavourable aspect of Kao-Tan-Dze — Glance at the Great
Wall — Inquiry after the Passports — Tartars travelling in China —
Dreadful Hurricane — Origin and Manners of the Inhabitants of Kan-
Sou — The Dchiahours — Interview with a Living Buddha — Hotel of the
Temperate Climates — Family of Samdadchiemba — Mountain of Ping-
Keou — Fight between an Innkeeper and his Wife — Water-mills —
Knitting — Si-Ning-Fou — House of Rest — Arrival at Tang-Keou-Eul 262

■-T-^f.

LIST OF ILLDSTPaTIONS.

I'ASE

Froutispiece, Chinese and Tartar Costumes.
Title-page, Portraits of MM. Gabet and Hue.

View of the City of Peking i)

Initial Letter T 9

The Travellers setting out on their Journey . . . * 15

Kang of a Tartar-Chinese Inn 17

The Missionaries in their Lamanesque Costumes 19

Portrait of Samdadchiemba 20

Mountain of Sain-Oula 21

First Encampment 23

Buddhist Monumt-nts . , 25

Militai7 Mandarin 28

Chinese Idol 32

View of the City of Tolon-Xoor 33

Bell and Idol Foundry 36

The Queen of Mourguevan 40

The Emperor Tao-Kouang 44

Tartar Encampment 4.8

Interior of a Tartar Tent 50

Eussian Convent at Peking 61

Lamasery of the Five Towers 79

Lamasery of Tchortchi 85

Buddhist Tem.ple 87

Interior of Buddhist Temple 89

Tartar Agriculturist 98

Chinese Soldier 100

Chinese Money-changers 109

The Camel Market 121

Vlii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE

Vagabond Lamas 124

View of Tchagan-Koiiren 128

Caravan crossing the Desert 132

Navigation of the Yellow River 139

Camel of Tartarj 146

Water-fowl and Birds of Passage 147

A Fishing Party iô5

Election of a Living Buddha 165

The Steppes of Ortous 168

Caves of the Ortous ...» 180

Barbarous Lamanesque Ceremony 188

Lamasery of Rache-Tchurin 201

Turning Prayers 203

Mongol Butcher 210

Encampment at the ILandred Wells 222

Grand Ceremony at the Ancestral Temple 227

Chinese Idol 23C

Chinese and Tartar Arms 2;?7

Chinese Princess '253

Chinese Caricature 261

Irrigation of the Fields 262

Pvoot of the J n-Seng 293

MAP OF TARTARY, THIBET, AND CHINA.

IE DARK LINE INDICATES THE ROUTE OF THE TRAVELLERS MM. HUU AND GABET.

^' i/i^^iM"'

CHAPTER I.

French Mission of Peking — Glance at the Kingdom of Ouniot — Preparations for
Departure— Tartai'-Chinese Inn— Change of Costume— Portrait and Character
of Samdadchiemba — Sain-Oula (the Good Mountain) — The Frosts on Sain-
Oula, and its Robbers— First Encampment in the Desert— Great Imperial
Forest — Buddhist monuments on the summit of the mountains — Topography of
the Kingdom of Gechekten — Character of its Inhabitants— Tragical working
of a Mine — Two Mongols desire to have their horoscope taken — Adventure o
Samdadchiemba — Environs of the town of Tolon-Noor,

HE French mission of Pelîing, once so
flourishing under the early
emperors of the Tartar-
Mantchou dynasty, was al-
most eKtiqjated hy the con-
stant persecutions of Kia
King, the fifth monarch of
that dynasty, who ascended
the throne in 1799. The
missionaries were dispersed
or put to death, and at that
time Europe was herself too
deeply agitated to enable her to send succour to this distant Clmsten-
dom, which remained for a time abandoned. Accordingly, when
the French Lazarists re-appeared at Peking, they found there scarce
a vestiore of the true faith. A gi-eat number of Christians, to avoid

10 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

tiie persecutions of the Chinese authorities, had passed the Great
AVall, and sought peace and liberty in the deserts of Tartary, where
they lived dispersed upon small patches of land which the Mongols
permitted them to cultivate. By dint of perseverance the mission-
aries collected together these dispersed Christians, placed tliemselves
at their head, and hence superintended the mission of Peking,
the immediate administration of which was in the hands of a few
Chinese Lazarists. The French missionaries could not, with any
prudence, have resumed their former position in the capital of the
emph-e. Theii' presence would have compromised tlie prospects of
the scarcely reviving mission.

In visiting the Chinese Christians of IMongolia, we more
than once had occasion to make excursions into the Land of Grass,
(Isao-Ti), as the uncultivated portions of Tartary are designated,
and to take up our temporary abode beneatli the tents of the Mon-
gols. We were no sooner acquainted with this nomadic people,
than we loved them, and our hearts were filled with a passionate
desire to announce the gospel to them. Our whole leisure was
therefore devoted to acquiring the Tartar dialects, and in 1842,
the Holy See at length fulfilled our desh-es, by erecting Mongolia
into an Apostolical Vicariat.

Towards the commencement of the year 1 844, couriers arrived
at Si-wang, a small Christian community, where the vicar apostolic
of Mongolia had fixed his episcopal residence. Si-wang itself is a
village, north of the Great Wall, one day's journey from Suen-hoa-
Fou. The prelate sent us instructions for an extended voyage we
were to undertake for the purpose of studying the character and
manners of the Tartars, and of ascertaining as nearly as possible the
extent and limits of the Vicariat. This journey, then, which we
had so long meditated, was now determined upon ; ,and we sent a
young Lama convert in search of some camels which we had put
to pasture in the kingdom of Naiman. Pending his absence, we
hastened the completion of several Mongol works, the translation of
which had occupied us for a considerable time. Our little books
of prayer and doctrine were ready, still our young Lama had
not returned; but thinking he could not delay much longer,
we quitted the valley of Black Waters (Hé-Chuy ), and proceeded
on to await his arrival at the Contiguous Defiles (Pié-lié-Keou),
wliich seemed more favourable for the completion of our pre])ara-
tions. The days passed away in futile expectation ; the coolness
of the autumn was becoming somewhat biting, and we feared that
we should have to begin our journey across the deserts of Tartary
during the fi'osts of winter. We determined, therefore, to dispatch
some one in quest of our camels and our Lama. A Iriendly cate

TIÎlI.îET, AND CHINA. 11

cliist. a good walker and a man of expedition, proceeded on this
mission. On the day tixed for that purpose he returned; his
researches had heen wholly without result. All he had ascertained
at the place which he had visited was, that our Lama had started
several days before with our camels. The surprise of our courier
was extreme when he found that the Lama had not reached us
before himself. "What!" exclamied he, "are my legs quicker than
a camel's ! They left Naiman before me, and here I am arrived
before them ! My spiritual fathers, have patience for another day.
I'll answer that both Lama and camels will be here in that
time." Several days, howevei", passed away, and we were still in the
same position. We once more dispatclied the courier in search of
the Lama, enjoining him to proceed to the very place where the
camels had been put to pasture, to ex:imine things with his own
eyes, and not to trust to any statement that other people might
make.

Dm-ing this interval of painful suspense, we continued to inhabit
tl'.e Contiguous Defiles, a Tartar district dependent on the kingdom
of Ouniot.^ These regions appear to have been affected by great
revolutions. The present inliabitants state that, in the olden time,
the country was occupied by Corean tribes, who, expelled thence in
the com-se of various wars, took refuge in the peninsula which they
still possess, between the Yellow ^ea and the sea of Japan. You
often, in these parts of Tartaiy, meet with the remains of great
towns, and the ruins of fortresses, very nearly resembling tliose of
tlie middle ages in P^urope, and, upon turning up the soil in these
places, it is not unusual to find lances, arrows, portions of farming
implements, and m-ns filled with Corean money.

Towards the middle of the 17 th centmy, the Chinese began to
penetrate into this district. At that period, the whole landscape
was still one of rude grandem-; the mountains were covered with
fine forests, and the Mongol tents whitened the valleys, amid rich
pastui-ages. For a very moderate sum the Chinese obtained per-
mission to cultivate tl)e desert, and as cultivation advanced, the
Mongols were obliged to retreat, conducting then- flocks and herds
elsewhere.

From that time forth, the aspect of the country became entirely
changed. All the trees were gTubbed up, the forests disappeared
fi'om the hills, the prairies were cleared by means of fire, and the
new cultivators set busily to work in exhausting the fecimdity of
the soil. Almost the entire region is now in the hands of tlie Chi-
nese, and it is probably to their system of devastation that a\ e must

1 Notwithstanding the slight importanr-e of the Tartar tribes, we shall give thcui
the name of kingdoms, bec..u.se the chiefs of theae tribes are called Wang (Ki:):;;.)

12 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

attribute the extreme iiTegiilarity of the seasons which now desolate
this unhappy land. Droughts are of almost annual occuiTence ;
the sjjring winds setting in, dry up the soil; the heavens assume a
sinister aspect, and the unfortunate population await, in utter terror,
the manifestation of some terrible calamity ; the winds by degrees
redouble their violence, and sometimes continue to blow far into
the summer months. Then the dust rises in clouds, the atmos-
jDliere becomes thick and dark ; and often, at mid-day, you are en-
vironed witli the teiTors of night, or rather, with an intense and
almost palpable blackness, a thousand times more fearful than the
most sombre night. Next after these hurricanes comes the rain :
but so comes, that instead of being an object of desire, it is an object
of dread, for it pours down in furious raging torrents. Sometimes
the heavens suddenly opening, pour forth in, as it were, an immense
cascade, all the water with wliich they are charged in that quarter;
and immediately the fields and their crops disappear under a sea of
mud, whose enormous waves follow the course of the valleys, and
carry everything before them. The torrent rushes on, and in a few
hours the earth reappears ; but the crops are gone, and worse even
than that, the arable soil also has gone with them. Nothing re-
mains but a ramification of deep ruts, filled with gi-avel, and thence-
forth incapable of being ploughed.

Hail is of frequent occurrence in these unhappy districts, and
the dimensions of the hailstones are generally enormous. We have
ourselves seen some that weighed twelve pounds. One moment
sometimes suffices to exterminate whole flocks. In 1843, during
one of these storms, there was heard in the air a sound as of a
I'ushing wind, and therewith fell, in a field near a house, a mass of
ice larger than an ordinary millstone. It was broken to pieces with
hatchets, yet, though the sun burned fiercely, three days elapsed
before these pieces enth-ely melted.

The droughts and the inundations together, sometimes occasion
famines which well nigh exterminate the inhabitants. That of
1832, in the twelfth year of the reign of Tao-Kouang} is the most
terrible of these on record. The Chinese report that it was every
where announced by a general presentiment, the exact nature of
which no one could explain or comprehend. During the winter
of 1831, a dark i-umour grew into circulation. Next year, it was
said, there will he neither rich nor poor ; blood ivill cover the moun-
tains ; hones will fill the valleys (Ou fou, ou kioung ; hue man chan,
kou man tchouan.) Tliese words were in every one's mouth; the
children repeated them in their sports ; all were under tlie domina-

1 Sixth Emperor of tlic Taitar-Mantchou dynasty. He died in the year 1849.

THIBET, AND CHINA. 13

tion of these sinister apprehensions when the year 1882 commenced.
Spring and summer passed away without rain, and the frosts of
autumn set in wliile the crops were yet gi-een ; these crops of coiu'se
perished, and there was absolutely no harvest. The population
was soon reduced to the most entii-e destitution. Houses, fields,
cattle, everything was exchanged for gi'ain, the price of which at-
tained its weight in gold. When the gTass on the moimtain sides
was devoured by the starving creatiu-es, the depths of the earth
were dug into for roots. The fearful prognostic, that had been so
often repeated, became accompUshed. Thousands died upon the
hills, whither they had crawled in search of gi-ass ; dead bodies filled
the roads and houses; whole villages were depopulated to the last
man. Tliere was. indeed, neither rich nor jwor ; pitiless famine
had levelled all alike.

It was in this dismal region that we awaited with impatience the
cornier, whom, for a second time, we had dispatched into the king-
dom of Naiman. The day fixed for liis return came and passed, and
several others followed, but brought no camels, nor Lama, nor
cornier, which seemed to us most astonishing of all. We became
desjierate ; we could not longer endm-e this painful and futile sus-
pense. We devised other means of j)roceeding, since those we had
aiTanged appeared to be fi'ustrated. llie day of our departure was
fixed ; it was settled, further, that one of our Christians should
convey us in his car to Tolon-Noor, distant fi-om the Contiguous
Defiles about fifty leagues. At Tolon-Noor we were to dismiss our
temporary conveyance, proceed alone into the desert, and thus
start on our pilgiimage as well as we could. This project abso-
lutely stupified our Christian friends ; they could not comprehend
how two Europeans should undertake by themselves along jom-ney
through an unkno\%Ti and inimical country : but we had reasons
for abiding by our resolution. We did not desire that any Chinese
should accompany us. It appeared to us absolutely necessaiy to
throw aside the fetters with which the authorities had hitherto con-
trived to shackle missionaries in China. The excessive caution, or
rather the imbecile pusillanimity of a Chinese catechist, was calcu-
lated rather to impede than to facilitate our progi-ess in Tailaiy.

On the Sunday, the day preceding om* aiTanged departure, eveiy
thing was ready ; our small trunks were packed and padlocked, and
the Clnistians had assembled to bid us adieu. On this very evening,
to the infinite surprise of all of us, our courier arrived. As he ad-
vanced, his mom-nful countenance told us before he spoke, that his
intelligence was unfavourable. " My spiritual fathers," said he,
" all is lost ; you have nothing to hope ; in the kingdom of Xaiman
there no longer exists anv camels of the Holy Church. The Lama

14 TRAVELS IN TART A ET,

doubtless has been killed ; and I have no doubt the devil has had
a direct hand in the matter "

Doubts and fears are often harden* to bear than the certainty of
evil. The intelligence thus received, though lamentable in itself,
relieved us from our pei-plexity as to the past, without in any way
alteiii.g our plan for the future. After having received the con-
dolences of our Christians, we retired to rest, convinced tliat this
niglit would cei'tainly be that preceding our nomadic life.

The night was far advanced, when suddenly numerous voices
were heard outside our abode, and the door was shaken with loud
and repeated knocks. We rose ct once ; the Lama, the camels, all
had ai rived; there was quite a little revolution. Tlie order of tlie
day was instantly changed. We resolved to depart, not on the
IMonday, but on the T'uesday ; not in a car, but on camels, in true
Tartar fashion. We returned to our beds perfectly delighterl ; but
we could not sleep, each of us occupying the remainder of the night
with plans for eilecting the equipment of the caravan in the most
expeditious manner possible.

Next day, while vv^e were making our preparations for departure,
our I ama explained his extraordinary delay. First, he had under-
gone a long illness; then he had been occupied a considerable
time in pursuing a camel which had escaped into the desert; and
finally, he had to go before some tribunal, in order to procure the
restitution of a mule which had been stolen from liim. A law-suit,
an illness, and a camel hunt were amply sufficient reasons for ex-
cusing the delay which had occurred. Our courier was the only
person who did not participate in the general joy; he saw it must
be evident to every one that he had not fulfilled his mission with
any sort of skill.

All Monday was occupied in the equipment of our caravan.
Every person gave his assistance to this object. Some repaired
our ti-avelling-bouse, that is to say, mended or patched a great blue
linen tent ; others cut for us a supply of wooden teut pins ; others
mended the holes in our copper kettle, and renovated the broken
leg of a joint stool; others prepared cords, and put together the
thousand and one pieces of a camel's pack. Tailors, caii^enters,
braziers, rope-makers, saddle-makers, people of all trades assembled
in active co operation in the court-yard of our humble abode. For
all, great and small, among our Christians, were resolved that their
spiritual fathers should proceed on their journey as comfortably
as j)ossible.

On Tuesday morning, there remained nothing to be done but
to perforate the nostrils of the camels, and to insert in the aperture
a wooden licof, to use as a sort of bit. The arrangement of this was

THIBET, AND CHINA.

15

left to our Lama. The wild piercing cries of the poor animals
pending the painful operation, soon collected together all the
Christians of the village. At tliis moment, our Lama became ex-
clusively the hero of the expedition. The crowd ranged themselves
in a ch-cle around him ; every one was curious to see how, by gently
pulling the cord attached to the peg in its nose, our Lama could
make the animal obey him, and kneel at his pleasure. Then,
again, it was an interesting thing for the Chinese to watch our
Lama packing on the camels' backs the baggage of the two mis
sionary travellers. When the arrangements were completed, we
drank a cup of tea, and proceeded to the chapel ; the Christians
recited prayers for our safe journey; we received their farewell, in-
teiTupted with tears, and proceeded on our way. Samdadchiemba,

our Lama cameleer, gravely mounted on
a black, stunted, meagre mule, opened
the march, leading two camels laden
with our baggage ; then came the two missionaries, MM. Gabetand
Hue, the former mounted on a tall camel, the latter on a white horse.
Upon our departure we were resolved to lay aside our accus
tomed usages, and to become regular Tartars. Yet we did not at
the outset, and all at once, become exempt from the Chinese
system. Besides that, for the first mile or two of oiu' journey, we
were escorted by our Chinese Christians, some on foot, and some on
horseback, our first stage was to be an inn kept by the Grand
Catechist of the Contiguous Defiles.

lb TRAVELS IN TARTAUY,

The progress of our little caravan was not at first wholly suc-
cessful. We were quite novices in tlie art of saddling and girthing
camels, so that every five minutes we had to halt, either to re-
arrange some cord or piece of wood that hurt and ii'ritated the
camels, or to consolidate upon their backs, as well as we could, the
ill-packed baggage that tlu^eatened, ever and anon, to fall to the
ground. We advanced, indeed, despite all these delays, but still
very slowly. After joiu-neying about thirty-five lis,^ we quitted the
cultivated district and entered upon the Land of Grass. There we
got on much better; the camels were more at their ease in the
desert, and theii- pace became more rapid.

We ascended a high mountain, where the camels evinced a
decided tendency to compensate themselves for then- trouble, by
browzing, on either side, upon the tender stems of the elder tree or
the green leaves of the wild rose. 'J'he shouts we were obliged to
keep up, in order to urge forward the indolent beasts, alarmed
infinite loxes, who issued from tlieh' holes and rushed off in all
directions On attaining the summit of the rugged liill we saw in
the hollow beneath the Christian inn of Yan-Pa-Eul. We pro-
ceeded towards it, our road constantly crossed by fresh and limpid
sti-eams, which, issuing from the sides of the mountain, reunite at
its foot and form a rivulet which encircles the inn. We were
received by the landlord, or, as the Chinese call him, the Comp
troller of the Chest.

Inns of this description occur at intervals in the deserts of
Tartary, along the confines of China. They consist almost univer-
sally of a large square enclosm-e, formed by high poles interlaced
with brushwood. In the centre of this enclosure is a mud house,
never more than ten feet high. With the exception of a few
wretched rooms at each extremity, the entire structure consists of
one large apartment, serving at once for cooking, eating, and
sleeping; thoroughly dirty, and full of smoke and intolerable
stench. Into this pleasant place all travellers, without distinction,
are ushered, the portion of space applied to their accommodation
being a long, wide Kang, as it is called, a sort of furnace, occu-
pying more than three-fourths of the apartment, about fom- feet
high, and the flat, smooth surface of which is covered with a
reed mat, which the richer guests cover again with a travelling
carpet of felt, or with furs. In front of it, three immense
coppers, set in glazed earth, serve for the preparation of the
traveller's milk-broth. The apertures by whicli these monster
boilers are heated communicate with the interior of the Kang, so
that its temperature is constantly maintained at a high elevation,

' The Chinese Li is about equivalent to the quarter of an English mile.

THIBET, AND CHINA.

17

TARl AR-CH1>

even in the terrible cold of winter. Upon the amval of guests,
the Compti-oller of the Chest invites them to ascend the Kang,
where they seat themselves, their legs crossed tailor-fasliion, round
a large table, not more than six inches high. The lower part of
the room is reserved for the peo23le of the inn, who there busy
themselves in keeping up the fire under the cauldrons, boiling tea,
and pounding oats and buck wheat into tlour for the repast of the
travellers. The Kawj of these Tartar-Chinese inns is, till evening,
a stage full of animation, where the guests eat, drink, smoke, gam-
ble, dispute, and fight: with night-fall, the refectory, tavern, and
gambling-house of tlie day is suddenly converted into a dormitory.
The travellers who have any bed- clothes unroll and arrange them;
those who have none, settle themselves as best they may in then-
personal attii-e, and lie down, side by side, round the table. When
the guests are very numerous they arrange themselves in two cir-
cles, feet to feet. Thus reclined, those so disposed, sleep ; others,
awaiting sleep, smoke, drink tea, and gossip, 'ilie efiect of the
scene, dimly exhibited by an imperfect wick floating amid thick,
dnty, stinking oil, whose receptacle is ordinarily a broken tea-cup,
is fantastic, and to the stranger, fearful.

18 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

The Comptroller of the Chest had prepared his own room for
our accommodation. We washed, but would not sleep there; being
now Tartar travellers, and in possession of a good tent, we deter-
mined to try our apprentice hand at setting it up. This resolution
offended no one, it was quite understood we adopted this course,
not out of contempt towards the inn, but out of love for a patriar-
chal life. When we had set up our tent, and unrolled on the
gi-ound our goat-skin beds, we lighted a pile of brushwood, for the
nights were already growing cold. Just as we were closing our
eyes, the Inspector of Darkness startled us with beating the official
night alarum, upon his brazen tam-tam, the sonorous sound of
which, reverberating through the adjacent valleys struck with terror
tlie tigers and wolves frequenting them, and drove them off.

We were on foot before daylight. Previous to our departure
we had to perform an operation of considerable importance — no
other than an entire change of costume, a complete metamorphosis.
The missionaries who reside in China, all, without exception, wear
the secular dress of the people, and are in no way distinguishable
from them ; they bear no outward sign of their religious character.
It is a great pity that they should be thus obliged to wear the
secular costume, for it is an obstacle in the way of their preaching
the gosjîel. Among the Tartars, a hlack man — so they discriminate
the laity, as wearing their hair, from the clergy, who have their heads
close shaved — who should talk about religion would be laughed at,
as impertinently meddling with things, the special province of the
Lamas, and in no way concerning him. The reasons which appear
to have introduced and maintained the custom of wearing the
secular habit on the part of the missionaries in China, no longer
applying to us, we resolved at length to appear in an ecclesiastical
exterior becoming our sacred mission. Tiie views of our vicar
apostolic on the subject, as explained in his wiitten instructions,
being conformable with our wish, we did not hesitate. We resolved
to adopt the secular dress of the Thibetian Lamas ; that is to say,
the dress which they wear when not actually performing their idola-
trous ministry in the Pagodas. The costume of the Thibetian
Lamas suggested itself to our preference as being in unison with
that worn by our young neophyte, Samdadchiemba.

We announced to the Christians of the inn that we were resolved
no longer to look like Chinese mercliants; that we were about to
cut off our long tails, and to shave our heads. This intimation created
great agitation : some of our disciples even wept ; all sought by
their eloquence to divert us from a resolution which seemed to
them fraught with danger ; but their pathetic remonstrances were
of no avail ; one touch of a razor, in the hands of Samdadchiemba,

THIBET, AND CHINA.

19

sufEcecl to sever the long tail of baiT, which, to accommodate
Cliiiiese fashions, we had so carefully cultivated ever since our
departure from France. We put on a long yellow robe, fastened at
the right side \vith five gilt buttons, and round the waist by a long red
sash ; over this was a red

jacket, with a collar of _^=_:^^ -,.__

pui-ple velvet; a yellow
cap, surmounted by a red
tuft, comi^leted our new
costume. Breakfast fol-
lowed this decisive opera-
tion, but it was silent and
sad. When the Comptiol-
ler of the Chest brought
in some glasses and an
um, wherein smoked the
hot wine drunk by tlie
Chinese, we told him that
having changed our habit
of dress, we should change
also our habit of living.
" Take away," said we,
" that wine and that
chafing dish ; henceforth
we renoimce drinking and
smoking. You know," ad-
ded we, laughing, " that
good Lamas abstain fi-om
wine and tobacco " The
Chinese Christians who
surrounded us did not
join in the laugh ; they
with deep commiseration.

THE MISSInNARltS IN THEIR I AMAN ESUUE COSTDMES.

looked at us without speaking and
fully persuaded that we should in-
evitably peiisli of privation and miseiy in the deserts of Tartary.
Breakfast finished, while the people of the inn were packing
up oui- tent, saddling the camels, and preparing for our depar-
tm-e, we took a coTiple of rolls, baked in the steam of the fur
nace, and walked out to complete our meal with some wild cun-ants
growing on the bank of tlie adjacent rivulet. It was soon
announced to us that everything was ready — so, moiniting our
respective animals, we proceeded on the road to Tolon-Noor, accom-
panied by Samdadcliiemba.

We were now launched, alone and without a guide, amid a nev/
world. We had no longer before us paths traced out by the old

20

TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

missionaries, for we were in a country wliere none before us had
preached Gospel truth. We should no longer have by our side
those earnest Christian converts, so zealous to serve us ; so anxious,
by their friendly care, to create around us as it were an atmosphere
of home. We were abandoned to ourselves, in a hostile land,
without a friend to advise or to aid us, save Him by whose strength
we were supported, and whose name we were seeking to make
kno\\Ti to all the nations of the earth.

As we have just observed, Samdadchiemba was our only travel-
ling companion. This young man Wcis neither Chinese, nor Tartar,
nor Thibetian. Yet, at the first glance, it was easy to recognise in him
the features characterizing that which naturalists call the Mongol race.
A great fiat nose, insolently turned up ; a large mouth, slit in a per-
fectly straight line, thick, projecting lips, a deep bronze complexion,
every feature contributed to give to his physiognomy a wild and

scornful asjject. When his
little eyes seemed starting out
of his head from under their
lids, wholly destitute of eye-
lash, and he looked at you
wrinkling his brow, he in-
spired you at once with feel-
ings of dread and yet of con-
fidence. The face was without
any decisive character : it
exhibited neither the mis-
chievous knavery of the Chi
nese, nor the frank good-
natiQ-e of the Tartar, nor the
courageous energy of the
Thibetian ; but was made up
of a mixture of all three.
Samdadchiemba was a DcJiialimir. We shall hereafter have occasion
to speak more in detail of the native country of our young cameleer.
At the age of eleven, Samdadchiemba had escaped from his
Lamasery, in order to avoid the too frequent and too severe cor-
rections of the master under whom he was more immediately placed.
He afterwards passed the greater portion of his vagabond youth,
sometimes in the Chinese towns, sometimes in the deserts of
Tartary. It is easy to comprehend that this independent coiu-se of
life had not tended to modify the natural asperity of his character ;
his intellect was entirely uncultivated ; but, on the other hand, his
muscular power was enormous, and he was not a little vain of this
quality, which he took great pleasure in parading. After having

lljCHIfcJIliA.

THTBET, AND CHINA.

21

been instructed and baptized by M. Gabet. he had attaclied himself
to the service of the missionaries. Tlie journey we were now un-
dertaking was i^erfectly in harmony with liis erratic and adven-
turous taste. He was, however, of no mortal service to us as a
guide across the deserts of Tartary, for he Jinew no more of the
country than we knew ourselves. Our only informants were a
compass, and the excellent map of the Chinese empire by Andriveau-
Goujon.

The first portion of our journey, after leavnig Yan-Pa-Eul, was
accomplished without interruption, sundry anathemas excepted,
which were hurled against us as we ascended a mountain, by a
party of Chinese merchants, whose mides, upon sight of our camels
and om- own yellow attire, became frightened, and took to their
heels at full speed, dragging after them, and in one or two instances,
overturning the waggons to which they were harnessed.

-"^'It

MOUNTAIN OP SAIN-OULA.

The mountain in question is called Sa'm-Oula (Good Mountain),
doubtless iit lucus a non hœendo, since it is notoiious for the dismal
accidents and tragical adventmes of which it is the theatre. The
ascent is by a rough, steep path, half-choked up with fallen rocks.

2 "2 TRAVELS IN TARTAR Y,

Mid-way up is a small temi)le, dedicated to the divinity of the
mountain, Sain-Nai, (the good old Woman;) the occupant is a
priest, whose business it is, from time to time, to fill up the cavities
in the road, occasioned by the previous rains, in consideration of
which service he receives from each passenger a small gratuity,
constituting his revenue. After a toilsome journey of nearly three
hoTU's we found ourselves at the summit of the mountain, upon an
immense plateau, extending from east to west a long day's journey,
and from north to south still more widely. From this siuinnit you
discern, afar off in the plains of Tartary, the tents of the Mongols,
ranged semi-circularly on the slopes of the hills, and looking in
the distance like so many bee-hives. Several rivers derive their
source from the sides of this mountain. Chief among these is the
Chara-Mouren (Yellow Pdver— distinct, of course, from the great
Yellow Eiver of China, the Hoang-Ho) — the capricious course of
which the eye can follow on through the kingdom of Qecliekcen,
after traversing which, and then the district of Naiman, it passes
the stake-boundary into Mantchouria, and flowing from north to
south, falls into the sea, approacliing which it assumes the name
Léao-Ho.

The Good Mountain is noted for its intense frosts. There is
not a winter passes in which the cold there does not kill many
travellers. Frequently whole caravans, not arriving at their desti-
nation on the other side of the mountain, are sought and found on
its bleak road, man and beast frozen to death. Nor is the danger
less from the robbers and the wild beasts with whom the mountain
is a favourite haunt, or rather a permanent station. Assailed by
the brigands, the unlucky traveller is stripped, not merely of horse
and money, and baggage, but absolutely of the clothes he wears,
and then left to perish from cold and hunger.

Not but that the brigands of these parts are extremely polite all
the while ; they do not rudely clap a pistol to your ear, and bawl
at you : "Your money or your life !" No; they mildly advance with
a courteous salutation: "Venerable elder brother, I am on foot;
pray lend me your horse— I've got no money, be good enough
to lend me your purse — It's quite cold to-day, oblige me with the
loan of your coat." If the venerable elder brother charitably com-
plies, the matter ends with, "Thanks, brother;" but otherwise,
the request is forthwith emphasized with the arguments of a cudgel;
and if these do not convince, recourse is had to the sabre.

The sun declining ere we had traversed this platform, we re-
solved to encamp for the night. Our first business was to seek a
position combining the three essentials of fuel, water, and pasturage ;
aud, having due regard to the ill reputation of the Good Mountain,

THIBET, AND CHTNA.

privacy fi'om observation as complete as could be effected. Being
novices in travelling, the idea of robbe]'s haunted iis incessantly, and
we took everybody we saw to be a suspicious character, against whom
we must be on our guard. A gi-assy nook, surrounded by tall trees,
appertaining to the Imperial Forest, fulfilled our requisites. Un-
lading om' dromedaries, we raised, with no slight labour, our tent
beneath the foliage, aiKl at its entrance installed our faithfid poiter,
Arsalan, a dog whose size, strength, and courage well entitled him to
]iis appellation, which, in the Tartar-Mongol dialect, means " Lion."
Collecting some argols ^ and dry branches of trees, our kettle was
soon in agitation, and we threw into the boiling water some Koua-
nden, prepared paste, sometlnng like Vermicelli, which, seasoned
with some parings of bacon, given us by our fi-iends at Yan-Pa-Eid,
we hoped would furnish satisfaction for the hunger that began to
gnaw us. No sooner was the repast ready, than each of us, draw
ing forth from his giixUe his wooden cup, filled it with Kouamien,
and raised it to his lips. The preparation was detestable — uneatable.
The manufacturers of Kouamien always salt it for its longer pre-
servation ; but this paste of om's had been salted beyond all endur-
ance. Even Arsalan would not eat the composition. Soaking it

' Dried dung, which constitutes the chief, and indeed in many places the sole
fuel in Tartar^.

24 TRAVELS IN TAETARY,

for a while in cold water, we once more boiled it up, but in vain :
the dish remained nearly as salt as ever: so, abandoning it to Arsa-
lan and to Samdadchieraba, v/hose stomach by long use was
capable of anything, we were fain to content ourselves with
the dry-cold^ as the Chinese say ; and, taking with us a couple of
small loaves, walked into the Imperial Forest, in order at least to
season our repast with an agreeable walk. Our first nomade supper,
however, turned out better than we had expected, Providence placing
in our path numerous Ngao-la-Eul and Chanhj-Hotim/ trees, the
former, a shrub about five inches high, which bears a pleasant
wild cherry; the other, also a low but very bushy shrub, producing
a small scarlet apjîle, of a sharp agreeable flavour, of which a very
succulent jelly is made.

The Imperial Forest extends more than a hundred leagues from
north to south, and nearly eighty from east to west. The Emperor
Khang-Hi, in one of his expeditions into Mongolia, adopted it as a
hunting gi'ound. He repaired thither every year, and his successors
regularly followed his example, down to Kia-Kimi, who, upon a
hunting excursion, was killed by lightning at Ge-lio-Eul, There has
been no imperial hunting there since that time — now twenty-seven
yea,rs ago. Tao-Kouançi, son and successor of Kia-King, being per-
suaded that a fatality impends over the exercise of the chase, since
his accession to the throne has never set foot in Ge-ho-Uid, which
may be regarded as tlie Versailles of the Chinese potentates.
The forest, however, and the animals which inhabit it, have been
no gainers by the circumstance. Despite the penalty of perpetual
exile decreed against all who shall be found, with arms in their
hands, in the forest, it is always half full of poachers and wood-
cutters. Gamekeepers, indeed, are stationed at intervals through-
out the forest; but they seem there merely for the purpose of
enjoying a monopoly of the sale of game and wood. Tliey let any
one steal either, provided they themselves get the larger share of
the booty. The poachers are in especial force from the fourth to
the seventh moon. At this period, the antlers of the stags send
forth new shoots, which contain a sort of half-coagulated blood,
called Lou-joung, which plays a distinguished part in the Chinese
Materia Medica, for its sujiposed chemical qualities, and fetches ac-
cordingly an exorbitant price. A Lou-joung sometimes sells for
as much as a hundred and fifty ounces of silver.

Deer of all kinds abound in the forest ; and tigers, bears, wild
boars, panthers, and wolves are scarcely less numerous. Woe to
the hunters and wood-cutters who venture otherwise than in large
parties into the recesses of the forest; they disajjpear, leaving no
vestige behind.

THIBET, AND CHINA.

25

The fear of encountering one of these wild beasts kept us from
prolonging our walk. Besides, night was setting in, and we hastened
back to our tent. Our first slumber in the desert was peaceful, and
next morning early, after a breakfast of oatmeal steeped in tea, we
resumed om* march along the gi*eat Plateau. We soon reached the
gi'eat Oho, whither the Tartars resort to worship the Spirit of the
Mountain. The monument is simply an enormous pile of stones,
heaped up without any order, and surmounted with dried branches
of trees, from which hang bones and strips of cloth, on which are
insciibed verses in the Thibet and Mongol languages. At its base

JDDDHiST i.ONCMENTS.

is a large granite urn in which the devotees burn incense. They offer,
besides, pieces of money, which the next Chinese passenger, after
sundry ceremonious genuflexions before the Obo, carefully collects
and pockets for his own particular benefit.

These Obos, which occur so frequently throughout Tartary,
and which are the objects of constant pilgrimages on the part of
the Mongols, remind one of the loca excelsa denounced by the
Jewish prophets.

It was near noon before the gi'ound, beginning to slope, in-
timated that we approached the termination of the plateau. We
then descended rapidly into a deep valley, where we found a smail
Mongolian encampment, which we passed without pausing, and set
up our tent for the night on the margin of a pool further on. We

26 TKAVELS IN TARTARY,

were now in tlie kingdom of Gecliekten, an undulating country,
well watered, with abundance of fuel and pasturage, but desolated
by bands of robbers. The Chinese, who have long since taken pos-
session of it, have rendered it a sort of general refuge for malefac-
tors; so that "man of Gecliekten" has become a synonyme for a
j)erson without fear of God or man, who will commit any miu-der,
and shrink fi'om no crime. It would seem as though, in this
country, natm-e resented the encroachments of man upon her rights.
Wherever the plough has passed, the soil has become poor, arid,
and sandy, producing nothing but oats, which constitute the food
of the people. In the whole district there is but one trading town,
which the Mongols call AUan-Somé, (Temple of Gold). This
was at first a great l^amasery, containing nearly 2000 Lamas. By
degrees Chinese have settled there, in order to traffic with the Tar
tars. In 1843, when we had occasion to visit this place, it had
already acquired the importance of a town. A highway, commencing
at Altan-Somé, proceeds towards the north, and after traversing the
coimtry of the Khalkhas, the river Keroulan, and the Khinggan
mountains, reaches Nertechink, a town of Siberia.

The sun had just set, and we were occupied inside the tent
boiling our tea, when Arsalan warned us, by his barking, of the
approach of some stranger. We soon heard the trot of ahorse, and
presently a mounted Tartar aj^peared at the door. " Mendou," he
exclaimed, by way of respectful salutation to the supposed Lamas,
raising his joined hands at the same time to his forehead. When
we invited him to diink a cuj? of tea with us, he fastened his horse
to one of the tent-pegs, and seated himself by the hearth, " Su's La-
mas," said he, "under what qiiarter of the heavens were you born?"
"We are from the western heaven; and you, whence come you?"
" My j)oor abode is towards the north, at the end of the valley you
see there on oin* right." " Your country is a fine country." The
Mongol shook his head sadly, and made no reply. " Brother,"
we proceeded, after a moment's silence, " the Land of Grass is still
very extensive in the kingdom of Gechekten. Would it not be
better to cultivate your plains ? What good are these bare lands
to you ? Woidd not fine crops of corn be preferable to mere grass ?"
He replied, with atone of deep and settled conviction, "We Mongols
are formed for living in tents, and pasturing cattle. So long as we
kept to that in the kingdom of Gechekten, we were rich and happy.
Now, ever since the Mongols have set themselves to cultivating the
land, and building houses, they have become poor. The Kitats
(Chinese) have taken possession of the country; flocks, herds, lands,
houses, all have passed into their hands. There remain to us only
a few prames, on which still live, under thek tents, such of the

THIBET, AMD CHINA. tJ7

Mongols as have not been forced by utter destitution to emigrate
to other lands." " But if the Chinese are so baneful to you, why
did you let them penetrate into your country?" " Your words are
the words of truth, Sirs Lamas; but you are aware that the Mon-
gols are men of simple hearts. We took pity on these wicked
Kitats, who came to us weeping, to solicit our charity. We allowed
them, through pure compassion, to cultivate a few patches of
land. The Mongols insensibly followed their example, and aban-
doned the nomadic life. They drank the wine of the Kitats, and
smoked their tobacco, on credit; they bought their manufactui-es
on credit at double the real value. When the day of payment came,
there was no money ready, and the Mongols had to yield, to the
violence of their creditors, houses, lands, flocks, everything." " But
could you not seek justice from the tribunals ?" " Justice û'orn the
tribunals ! Oh, that is out of the question. The Kitats are skilful
to talk and to lie. It is impossible for a Mongol to gain a suit
against a Kitat. Sii's Lamas, the kingdom of Gechekten is un-
done!" So saying, the poor Mongol rose, bowed, mounted his
horse, and rapidly disappeared in the desert.

We travelled two more days through this kingdom, and every-
where witnessed the poverty and wretchedness of its scattered in-
habitants. Yet the country is naturally endowed with astonishing
wealth, especially in gold and silver mines, which of themselves
have occasioned many of its worst calamities. Notwithstanding
the rigorous prohibition to work these mines, it sometimes happens
that large bands of Chinese outlaws assemble together, and march,
sword in hand, to dig into them. These are men professing to be
endowed with a peculiar capacity for discovering the precious
metals, guided, according to their own account, by the conformation
of mountains, and the sorts of plants they pi'oduce. One single
man, possessed of this fatal gift, will suffice to spread desolation over
a whole district. He speedily finds himself at the head of thousands
and thousands of outcasts, who overspread the country, and render
it the theatre of every crime. While some are occupied in working
the mines others pillage the surrounding districts, sparing neither
persons nor property, and committing excesses which the imagina-
tion could not conceive, and which continue until some mandarin,
powerful and com-ageous enough to suppress them, is brought within
their operation, and takes measures against them accordingly.

Calamities of this nature have fi-equently desolated the kingdom
of Gechekten; but none of them are comparabk with what hap-
pened in the kingdom of Ouniot, in 1841. A Chinese mine dis-
coverer, having ascertained the presence of gold in a j)ai'ticular
mountain, announced the discovery, and robbers and vagabonds

28

TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

at once congregated around him, from far and near, to the number
of 12,000. This hideous mob put the whole country under subjec-
tion, and exercised for two years its fearful sway. Almost the entire
mountain passed through the crucible, and such enormous quan-
tities of metal were produced, that the price of gold fell in China

fifty per cent. The inhabitants complained incessantly to the Chi-
nese mandarins, but in vain ; for these worthies only interfere where
they can do so with some benefit to themselves. The King of
Ouniot himself feared to measure his strength with such an army
of desperadoes.

One day, however, the Queen of Ouniot, repairing on a pilgrim-
age to the tomb of her ancestors, had to pass the valley in which
tlie army of miners was assembled. Her car was surrounded ; she
was rudely compelled to alight, and it was only upon the sacrifice

THIBET, AND CHINA. 29

of her jewels that she was permitted to proceed. Upon her return
home, she reproached the King hitterly for his cowardice. At
length, stung by her words, he assembled the troops of his two ban-
ners, and marched against the miners. The engagement which
ensued was for a while doubtful; but at length the miners were
driven in by the ïaitai- cavalry, who massacred them without
mercy. The bulk of the survivors took refuge in the mine. The
Mongols blocked up the apertures with huge stones. The cries of
the despaiiing wi-etches within were heard for a few days, and then
ceased for ever. Those of the miners who were taken alive had
their eyes put out, and were then dismissed.

We had just quitted the kingdom of Gechekten, and entered
that of Thakar, when we came to a military encampment, where
were stationed a party of Chinese soldiers charged with the preserva-
tion of the public safety. The hour of repose had arrived ; but
these soldiers, instead of giving us confidence by their presence, in-
creased, on the contrary, our fears; for we knew that they were
themselves the most daring robbers in the whole district. We
turned aside, therefore, and ensconced ourselves between two rocks,
where we found just space enough for om* tent. We had scarcely
set up om- temporaiy abode, when we observed, in the distance, on
the slope of the mountains, a numerous body of horsemen at full
galloiD. Their rapid but irregular evolutions seemed to indicate
that they were pursuing something which constantly evaded them.
By-and-by, two of the horsemen, perceiving us, dashed up to our
tent, dismounted, and threw themselves on the ground at the door.
They were Tartar-Mongols. "Men of prayer," said they, with
voices full of emotion, "we come to ask you to draw our horoscope.
We have this day had two horses stolen from us. We have fruitlessly
sought traces of the robbers, and we therefore come to you, men
whose power and learning is beyond all limit, to tell us where we
shall find our property." " Brothers," said we, " we are not Lamas
of Buddha; we do not believe in horoscopes. For a man to say
that he can, by any such means, discover that which is stolen, is for
them to put forth the words of falsehood and deception." The
poor Tartars redoubled their solicitations; but when they found
that we were inflexible in our resolution, they remounted their
horses, in order to return to the mountains.

Samdadchiemba, meanwhile, had been silent, appai-ently paying
no attention to the incident, but fixed at the fire-place, with his bowl
of tea to his lips. All of a sudden he knitted his brows, rose, and
came to the door. The horsemen were at some distance ; but the
Dchiahour, by an exertion of his stroug lungs, induced them to turn
round in their saddles. He motioned to them, and they, supposing

30 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

we had relented, and were willing to draw the desired horoscope,
galloped once more towards us. When they had come within speak-
ing distance : — " My Mongol brothers," cried Samdadchiemba, " in
future be more careful ; watch your herds well, and you won't be
robbed. Retain these words of mine on your memory: they are
worth all the horoscopes in the world." After this friendly address,
he gravely re-entered the tent, and seating himself at the hearth,
resumed his tea.

We were at first somewhat disconcerted by this singular pro-
ceeding ; but as the horsemen themselves did not take the matter in
ill part, but quietly rode off, we burst into a laugh. "Stupid
Mongols ! " grumbled Samdadchiemba ; " they don't give themselves
the trouble to watch their animals, and then, when they are stolen
from them, they run about wanting people to draw horoscopes for
them. After all, perhaps, it's no wonder, for nobody but ourselves
tells them the truth. The Lamas encourage them in their credulity;
for they turn it into a source of income. It is difficult to deal with
such people. If you tell them you can't draw a horoscope, they don't
believe you, and merely suppose you don't choose to oblige them.
To get rid of them, the best way is to give them an answer hap-
hazard." And here Samdadchiemba laughed with such expansion,
that his little eyes were completely buried. " Did you ever draw
a horoscope?" asked we. "Yes, replied he," still laughing. "I
was very young at the time, not more than fifteen. I was travelling
through the Red Banner of Thakar, when I was addressed by some
Mongols who led me into their tent. There they entreated me to
tell them, by means of divination, where a bull had strayed, which
had been missing three days. It was to no purpose that I protested
to them I could not perform divination, that I could not even read."
' You deceive us/ said they ; ' you are a Dchiahour, and we know
that the Western Lamas can all divine more or less.' As the
only way of extricating myself from the dilemma, I resolved to imi-
tate what I had seen the Lamas do in their divinations. I directed
one person to collect eleven sheep's droppings, the dryest he could
find. They were immediately brought. I then seated myself very
gravely; I counted the droppings over and over; I arranged them
in rows, and then counted them again ; I rolled them up and down
in threes ; and then appeared to meditate. At last I said to the
Mongols, who were impatiently awaiting the result of the horoscope :
' If you would find your bull, go seek him towards the north.' Be-
fore the words were well out of my mouth, four men were on horse-
back, galloping off towards the north. By the most curious chance
in the world, they had not proceeded far, before the missing animal
made its appearance, quietly browzing. I at once got the character

THIBET, AND CHINA. 31

of a diviner of the first class, was entertained in the most liberal
manner for a week, and when I departed had a stock of butter and
tea given me enough for another week. Now that I belong to Holy
Church, I know that these things are wicked and prohibited ; other-
wise I would have given these horsemen a word or two of horoscope,
which perhaps would have procured for us, in return, a good cup of
tea with butter."

The stolen horses confirmed in our minds the ill reputation of
the country in which we were now encamped ; and we felt ourselves
necessitated to take additional precaution. Before night-fall we
brought in the horse and the mule, and fastened them by cords to
pins at the door of our tent, and made the camels kneel by their
side, so as to close up the entrance. By this arrangement no one
could get near us without bur having full warning given us by the
camels, which, at the least noise, always make an outcry loud enough
to awaken the deepest sleeper. Finally, having suspended from one
of the tent-poles our travelling lantern, which we kept burning all
the night, we endeavoured to obtain a little repose, but in vain; the
night passed away, without our getting a wink of sleep. As to
the DckiaJtour, whom nothing ever troubled, we heard him snoring
with all the might of his lungs until daybreak.

We made our preparations for departure very early, for we were
eager to quit this ill-famed place, and to reach Tolon-Noor, which
was now distant only a few leagues.

On our way thither, a horseman stopped his galloping steed, and,
after looking at us for a moment, addressed us : "You are the chiefs
of the Christians of the Contiguous Defiles?" Upon our replying
in the aflSrmative, he dashed o±f again; but turned his head once or
twice, to have another look at us. He was a Mongol, who had
charge of some herds at the Contiguous Defiles. He had often seen
us there ; but the novelty of our present costume at first prevented
his recognising us. We met also the Tartars who, the day before,
had asked us to draw a horoscope for them. They had repaired
by daybreak, to the horse-fah at Tolon Noor, in the hope of finding
their stolen animals; but their search had been unsuccessful.

The increasing number of travellers, Tartars and Chinese, whom
we now met, indicated the approach to the gi-eat town of Tolon-
Noor. We already saw in the distance, glittering under the sun's
rays, the gilt roofs of two magnificent Lamaseries that stand in the
northern subm'bs of the town. We journeyed for some time through
a succession of cemeteries; for here, as elsewhere, the present genera-
tion is smTOunded by the ornamental sepulchres of past generations.
As we observed the numerous population of that large town, en-
vironed as it were by a vast ch'cle of bones and monumental stones,

3â TRAVELS IN TARTAR Y.

it seemed as though death was continuously engaged in the block-
ade of life. Here and there, in the vast cemetery which completely
encircles the city, we remarked little gardens, where, by dint of ex-
treme labour, a few miserable vegetables were extracted from the
earth : leeks, spinach, hard bitter lettuces, and cabbages, which, in-
troduced some years since from Russia, have adapted themselves
exceedingly well to the climate of Northern China.

With the exception of these few esculents, the environs of
Tolon-Noor j)roduce absolutely nothing whatever. The soil is dry
and sandy, and water terribly scarce. It is only here and there
that a few limited springs are found, and these are dried up in the
hot season.

CIT1 OF TuLON-KOOR.

CHAPTER IL

Inn ai Tolon-Noor — Aspect of the City — Great Foundries of Bells and Idols —
Conversation with the Lamas of Tolon-Noor — Encampment — Tea Bricks —
Meeting with Queen Mourguevan — Taste of the Mongols for Pilgrimages —
Violent Storm— Account from a Mongol Chief of the War of the English
against China— Topography of the Eight Banners of the Tchakar — The
Imperial herds — Form and Interior of the Tents— Tartar Manners and Cus-
toms—Encampment at the Three Lakes — Nocturnal Apparitions — Samdad-
chiemba relates the Adventures of his Youth — Grey Squirrels of Tartary —
Arrival at Chahorté.

Our entrance into the city of Tolon-Noor was fatiguing and
full of perplexity; for we knew not where to take up our abode.
We wandered about for a long time in a labp-inth of naiTow, tor-
tuous streets, encumbei-ed with men and animals and goods. At
last we found an inn. We unloaded om- dromedaries, deposited the
baggage in a small room, foddered the animals, and then, having
afl&xed to the door of our room the jDadlock which, as is the custom,
our landlord gave us for that pui'pose, we sallied forth in quest of
dinner. A triangular flag floating before a house in the next

34 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

street, indicated to our joyful hearts an eating-house. A long
passage led us into a spacious apaitment, in which were symmetri-
cally set forth a number of little tables. Seating ourselves at one
of these, a tea-pot, the inevitable prelude in these countries to
every meal, was set before each of us. You must swallow infinite tea,
and that boiling hot, before they will consent to bring you anything
else. At last, when they see you thus occupied, the Comptroller of
the Table pays you his official visit, a personage of immensely ele-
gant manners, and ceaseless volubility of tongue, who, after enter-
taining you with his views upon the affairs of the world in general,
and each countiy in particular, concludes by announcing what
there is to eat, and requesting your judgment thereupon. As you
mention the dishes you desire, he rej^eats their names in a mea-
sured chant, for the information of the Governor of the Pot.
Your dinner is served up with admh'able promptitude ; but before
you commence the meal, etiquette requires that you rise from your
seat, and invite all the other company present to partake, " Come,*'
you say, with an engaging gesture, " come my friends, come and
drink a glass of wine with me ; come and eat a plate of rice ;" and
so on. " No, thank you," replies every body; " do you rather come
and seat yourself at my table. It is I who invite you;'^ and so the
matter ends. By tliis ceremony you have " manifested your
honour," as the phrase runs, and you may now sit down and
eat it in comfort, your character as a gentleman perfectly esta-
blished.

When you rise to depart, the Comptroller of the Table again
appears. As you cross the apartment with him, he chants over
again the names of the dishes you have had, this time apj^ending
the prices, and terminating with the sum total, announced with
especial emphasis, which, proceeding to the counter, you then depo-
sit in the money-box. In general, the Chinese restaurateurs are quite
as skilful as those of France in exciting the vanity of the gueëts,
and promoting the consumption of their commodities.

Tv/o motives had induced us to direct our steps, in the firet
instance, to Tolon-Noor: we desired to make more purchases there
to complete our travelling equipment, and, secondly, it appeared
to us necessary to place ourselves in communication with the
Lamas of the country, in order to obtain information from them
as to the more important localities of Tartary. The pTirchases
we needed to make gave us occasion to visit the different quarters
of the town. Tolon-Noor (Seven Lakes) is called by the Chinese
Lama- Miao (Convent of Lamas). The Mantchous designate
it NadaR-Omo, and the Thibetians, Tsot-Dun, both transla-
tions of Tolon-Noor, and, equally with it, meaning " Seven Lakes."

T» THIBET, AND CHINA. 35

On the map published î.by ^F. Andriveau-Goiijon,^ this town is
called Djo-Naiman-Soumé, which in ^Mongol means, " The Hun-
dred and Eight Convents," This name is perfectly unknowTi in
the country itself.

Tolon-Noor is not a walled city, but a vast agglomeration of
hideous houses, which seem to have been thrown together wdth a
pitchfork. The carriage portion of the streets is a marsh of mud
and putrid filth, deep enough to stifle and buiy the smaller beasts
of bui'den that not unfrequently fall within it, and whose cai'cases
remain to aggravate the general stench ; while their loads become
the prey of the innimierable thieves who are ever on the alert.
The foot-path is a naiTow, rugged, slippeiy line on either side, just
wide enough to adn it the passage of one j)erson.

Yet, despite the nastiness of the town itself, the steiility of the
environs, the excessive cold of its winter, and the intolerable heat
of its summer, its population is immense, and its commerce enor-
mous. Russian merchandise is brought hither in large quantities
by the way of Kiakta. The Tartars biing incessant herds of
camels, oxen, and horses, and carry back in exchange tobacco,
linen, and tea. This constant arrival and departure of strangers
communicates to the city an animated and varied aspect. All
sorts of hawkers are at every corner offering their petty wares; the
regidar traders, from behind their counters, invite, with honeyed
words and tempting offers, the j)assers-^by to come in and buy.
The Lamas, in their red and yellow robes, gallop up and down,
seeking admhation for then- equestrianism, and the skilful ma-
nagement of then- fiery steeds,

Tlie trade of Tolon-Noor is mostly in the hands of men from
the province of Chan-Si, who seldom establish themselves perma-
nently in the town> but after a few years, when theii- money-chest is
filled, return to their own country. In this vast emporiiun, the
Chinese invariably make fortimes, and the Tartars invariably are
ruined. Tolon-Noor, in fact, is a sort of gi-eat pneumatic pump,
constantly at work in emptying the pockets of the unlucky Mongols.

The magnificent statues, in bronze and brass, wliich issue from
the gi*eat foundries of Tolon-Noor, are celebrated not only through-
out Tartary, but in the remotest districts of Thibet, Its immense
workshops supply all the countries subject to the worship of
Buddha mth idols, bells, and vases employed in that idolatry.
While we were in the town, a monster statue of Buddha, a present

1 With the exception of a very few inaccnracies, this map of the Chinese empire
is a most excellent one. We foimd it of the most valuiible aid throughout our
ioumey. — Hue.

An English version of the map is prefixed to this volume. — Ed.

36

TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

from a fi-ieud of Oudchoii-Mourdcliin to the Talè-Lama, was jjacked
for Thibet, on the backs of six camels. The larger statues are cast
in detail, the component paits being afterwards soldered together.
We availed ourselves of our stay at Tolon-Noor to have a figure
of Christ constructed on the model of a bronze original which we

3ELL AND JUOL FOUNDRY.

had brought with us from France. The workmen so marvellously
excelled, that it was difficult to distinguish the copy from the ori
ginal. The Chinese work more rapidly and clieaply, and their
complaisance contrasts most favourably with the tenacious self-
opinion of their brethren in Europe.

During our stay at Tolon-Noor, we had frequent occasion to
visit the Lamaseries, or Lama monasteries, and to converse with
the idolatrous priests of Buddhism. The Lamas appeared to us
persons of very limited information ; and as to their symbolism, in
general, it is little more refined or purer than the creed of the
vulgar. Their doctrine is still undecided, fluctuating amidst a vast
fanaticism of which they can give no intelligible account. When
we asked them for some distinct, clear, positive idea what they
meant, they were always thrown into utter embai-rassment, and

THIBET, AND CHINA. 37

stared at oue another. The disciples told us that their masters
knew all about it ; the masters referred us to the omniscience of
the Grand Lamas; the Grand Lamas confessed themselves igno
rant, but talked of some wonderful saint, in some Lamasery at the
other end of the country: he coidd explain the whole affair.
However, all of them, disciples and masters, gi-eat Lamas and
small, agi'eed in this, that their doctrine came from the West : " The
nearer you approach the West," said they unanimously, " the purer
and more luminous will the doctrine manifest itself." When we
expounded to them the truths of Christianity, they never discussed
the matter; they contented themselves with calmly saying, " Well,
we don't supj)ose that our prayers are tlie only prayers in the
world. The Lamas of the West will explain eveiything to you.
We believe in the traditions that have come fi'om the West."

In point of fact there is no Lamasery of any importance in
Tartaiy, the Grand Lama or superior of which is not a man from
Thibet. Any Tartar Lama who has visited Lha-Ssa [Land of
Spmtsj, or Mon/ie-D/iot [Eternal Sanctuary], as it is called in the
Mongol dialect, is received, on his retui-n, as a man to whom the
mysteries of the past and of the future have been unveiled.

After maturely weighing the information we had obtained from
the Lamas, it was decided that we should dii'ect our stei)s towards
the West. On October 1st we quitted Tolon-Noor ; and it was not
without infinite trouble that we managed to traverse the filthy town
with our camels. The poor animals could only get through the
quagmire streets by fits and starts ; it was first a stumble, then a
convulsive jump, then another stumble and another jump, and so
on. Their loads shook on their backs, and at every step we ex-
pected to see the camel and camel-load prostrate in the mud. We
considered oiu'selves lucky when, at distant intervals, we came to
a comparatively diy spot, where the camels could travel, and we
were thus enabled to re-adjust and tighten the baggage. Samdad
chiemba got into a desperate ill temper; he went on, and slipped,
and w^ent on again, without uttering a single word, restricting the
visible manifestation of his wrath to a (continuous biting of the
lips.

Upon attaining at length the western extremity of the town,
we got clear of the filth indeed, but found ourselves involved in
another evil. Before us there was no road marked out, not the
slightest trace of even a path. There was nothing but an apparently
interminable chain of small hills, composed of fine, moving sand,
over which it was impossible to advance at more than a snail's
pa(;e, and tliis only with extreme laboiu'. Among tliese sand-hills,
moreover, we were oppressed with an absolutely stifhng heat. Our

38 TKAVELS IN TAETARY,

animals were covered with perspiration, ourselves devoured with a
burning thirst ; but it was in vain that we looked round in all
directions, as we proceeded, for water ; not a spring, not a pool, not
a drop presented itself.

It was already late, and we began to fear we should find no
spot favourable for the erection of our tent. The ground, however,
grew by degrees firmer, and we at last discerned some signs of
vegetation. By-and-by, the sand almost disappeared, and our eyes
were rejoiced with the sight of continuous verdure. On oiu- left,
at no great distance, we saw the opening of a defile. M. G abet
urged on his camel, and went to examine the spot. He soon made
his appearance at the summit of a hill, and with voice and hand
directed us to follow him. We hastened on, and found that Pro-
vidence had led us to a favourable position. A small pool, the
waters of which were half concealed by thick reeds and other
marshy vegetation, some brushwood, a plot of grass : what could
we under the circumstances desrre more ? Hungiy, thirsty, weary
as we were, the place seemed a perfect Eden.

The camels were no sooner squatted, than we all three, with
one accord, and without a word said, seized, each man his wooden
cup, and rushed to the pond to satisfy his thirst. The water was
fresh enough; but it affected the nose violently with its strong
muriatic odour. I rem.embered to have drunk water just like it in
the Pyrenees, at the good town of Ax, and to have seen it for sale
in the chemists' shops elsewhere in France : and I remembered,
further, that by reason of its being particularly stinking and parti-
cularly nasty, it was sold there at fifteen sous per bottle.

After having quenched our thirst, our strength by degrees
returned, and we were then able to fix our tent, and each man to
set about his especial task. M, Gabet proceeded to cut some bun-
dles of horn-beam wood; Samdadchiemba collected argols in the
flap of his jacket; and M. Hue, seated at the entrance of the tent,
tried his hand at drawing a fowl, a process which Arsalan, stretched
at his side, watched with greedy eye, having immediate reference to
the entrails in course of removal. We were resolved, for once and
away, to have a little festival in the desert; and to take the oppor-
tunity to indulge our patriotism by initiating our Dchialwur in the
luxury of a dish prepared according to the rules of the cuisinier
Français. The fowl, artistically dismembered, was placed at the
bottom of our great pot. A few roots of synapia, prepared in salt
water, some onions, a clove of garlic, and some allspice, consti-
tuted the seasoning. The preparation was soon boiling, for we
were that day rich in fuel. Samdadchiemba, by-and-by, plunged
his hand into the pot, drew out a limb of the fowl, and, after care-

THIBET, AND CHINA 39

fully insiiectiiig it, pronounced supper to be ready. The pot was
taken from the trivet, and placed upon the grass. We all three
seated ourselves ai'ound it, so that our knees almost touched it, and
each, aimed with two chopsticks, fished out the pieces he desired
from tlie abundant broth before him.

When the meal was completed, and we had thanked God for
the rej)ast he had thus provided us with in the desert, Samdadchi-
emba went and washed the cauldi'on in the pond. That done, he
brewed us some tea. The tea used by the Tartars is not prepared
in the same way as that consumed by the Chinese. The latter, it
is known, merely employ the smaller and tenderer leaves of the
plant, which they simply infuse in boiling water, so as to give it a
golden tint; the coarser leaves, with whicli are mixed up the
smaller tendi-ils, are pressed together in a mould, in the fomi and
of the size of the ordinary house brick. Thus prepared, it becomes
an article of considerable commerce, under the designation of
Tartar-tea, the Tartars being its exclusive consumers, with the
exception of the Eussians, who drink great quantities of it. When
requii-ed for use, a piece of the brick is broken off, pulverised, and
boiled in the kettle, until the water assumes a reddish hue. Some
salt is then thi'owTi in, and effervescence commences. When the
liqmd has become almost black, milk is added, and the beverage,
the grand luxuiy of the Tartars, is then transfen-ed to the tea-pot.
Samdadchiemba was a perfect enthusiast of this tea. For our
pails, we di'ank it in default of something better.

Next morning, after rolling up our tent, we quitted this asylum
without regret indeed, for we had selected and occupied it altoge-
ther without preference. However, before departing, we set up, as
an ex-voto of our gi-atitude for its reception of us for a night, a
small wooden cross, on the site of our fire-place, and this precedent
we afterwards followed, at all our encamping places. Could mis-
sionaries leave a more appropriate memorial of their journey
through the desert !

We had not advanced an hour's jom'ney on oiu- way, when we
heard behind us the trampling of many horses, and the confused
sound of many voices. We looked back, and saw hastening in our
direction a numerous caravan. Three horsemen soon overtook us,
one of whom, whose costume bespoke him a Tartar mandarin,
addressed us with a loud voice, "Sirs, where is your country?"
" We come fi'om the west." " Tlu'ough what districts has your
beneficial shadow passed?" "We have last come from Tolon-
Noor." "Has peace accompanied your progress?" "Hitherto
we have jom-neyed in all tranquillity. And you : are you at peace ?
And what is yom' country ?" " We are Khalkhas, of the kingdom

40

TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

Of Mourguevan." "Have the rains been abundant? Are your
tlocks and herds flourishing?" "All goes wel m o.u^ pasture
..rounds" " Whither proceeds your caravan? We go to

incUne our foreheads before the Five Towers." The rest of the
caravan had joined us in the course of this abrupt and humed con-
versation. We were on the banks of a small stream, bordered
with brushwood. The
chief of the caravan or-
dered a halt, and the
camels formed, as each
came up, a circle, in
the centre of which was
drawn up a close car
riage upon four wheels.
' Sok! sok!' cried the
camel drivers, and at
the word, and as with
one motion, the entire
circle of intelligent ani
mais knelt. While nu-
merous tents, taken
from their backs, were

set up, as it were, by

enchantment, two man

darins, decorated with

the blue button, ap

preached the carriages,

opened the door, and

handed out a Tartar

lady, covered with a

long silk robe. She was

the Queen of the Khal-

khas repairing in pil-
grimage to the famous

Lamasery of the Five

Towers, in the province

aUEEN OF MOURQUEVaM.

owers. iniiitî Pi'jviin^c
of Chan-Si. When she saw us, she saluted us with the ordinary form
of raising both her hands: " Sirs Lamas," sl,e said "is this place
ausp oious for an encampment?" " Royal Pil,nim of Mourguevan
we replied, "you may light your fties here m all security, lor
rurseîves, ^. must p.4eeed on our way, for the sun was already
h"gh when we folded our tent." And so saying, we took our leave
of the Tartars of Mourguevan. ,

Our minds were deeply excited upon beholdmg this queen and

THIBET, AND CHINA. 41

her numerous suite performing this long pilgiimage through the
desert : no danger, no distance, no expense, no privation deters the
Mongols from their prosecution. The Mongols are, indeed, an
essentially religious people ; with them the future life is everything ;
the things of this world nothing. They live in the world as though
they were not of it ; they cultivate no lands, they build no houses ;
they regard themselves as foreigners travelling through life ; and
this feeling, deep and universal, developes itself in the practical
form of incessant journeys.

The taste for pilgrimages which, at all periods of the world's
history, has manifested itself in religious people, is a thing worthy
of earnest attention. The worship of the true God led the Jews,
several times a year, to Jerusalem. In ])rofane antiquity, those
who took any heed to religious belief at all repaired to Egypt, in
order to be initiated in the mysteries of Osiris, and to seek lessons
of wisdom from his priests. It was to travellers that the mysterious
sphynx of Mount Phicœus proposed the profound enigma of which
(Edipus discovered the solution. In the middle ages, the spirit of
pilgrimage held predominant sway in Europe, and the Christians
of that epoch were full of fervour for this species of devotion.
The Turks, while they were yet believers, repaired to Mecca in
great caravans ; and in our travels in Central Asia, we constantly
met numerous pilgrims going to or fro, all of them profoundly
filled with and earnestly impelled by a sincere sentiment of religion.
It is to be remarked that pilgrimages have diminished in Europe,
in proportion as faith has become rationalist, and as people have
taken to discuss the truths of religion. Wherever faith remains
earnest, simple, unquestioning, in the breasts of men, these pil-
grimages are in vigour. The reason is, that the intensity of simple
faith creates a peculiarly profound and energetic feeling of the con-
dition of man, as a wayfarer upon the earth ; and it is natural that
this feeling should manifest itself in pious wayfarings. Indeed,
the Catholic Church, which is the depository of all truth, has in-
troduced processions into the liturgy, as a memorial of pilgrimages,
and to remind men that this earth is a desert, wherein we com-
mence, with our birth, the awful journey of eternity.

We had left far behind us the pilgrims of Mourguevan, and
began to regi-et that we had not encamped in their company upon
the banks of the pleasant stream, and amid the fat pastures which
it fed. Sensations of fear grew upon us, as we saw great clouds
arise in the horizon, spread, and gi-adually obscure the sky. We
looked anxiously around, in all directions, for a place in which we
could commodiously halt for the night, but we saw no indication
whatever of water. While we were deep in this perplexity, some

c

4'^' TRAVELS IN TARTART,

large drops of rain told us that we had no time to lose. " Let us
make haste, and set up the tent,'' cried Samdadchiemba vehe-
mently. " You need not trouble yourselves any more in looking
for water; you will have water enough presently. Let us get under
shelter before the sky falls on our heads." " That is all very well,"
said we, " but we must have some water for the animals and our-
selves to drink. You alone require a bucket of water for your tea
every evening. Where shall we find some water?'" " My fathers,
you will very speedily h ave more water than you like. Let us encamp,
that's the first thing to be done. As to thirst, no one will need to
die of that this evening :; dig but a few holes about the tent, and
they'll soon overflow with rain-water. But we need not even dig
holes," added Samdadchiemba, extending his right hand; " do you
see tliat shepherd there and his flock? You may be sure water is
not fai- off." Following with oiu* eyes the direction of his finger,,
we perceived in a lateral valley a man driving a large flock of
sheep. We immediately turned a&ide, and hastened after the man..
The rain which now began to fall in torrents redoubled our celerity.
To aggravate our distress, the lading of one of the camels just at
this moment became loose, and slipped right round tow^ards the
ground, and we had to wait while the camel knelt, and Samdad-
chiemba readjusted the baggage on its back. We were, conse-
quently,, thoroughly wet througb before we reached a small lake,
now agitated and swollen by the falling torrent. There was no
occasion for deliberating that evening as to the particular site on
which we should set up our tent ; selection was out of the question,
when the ground all about was deeply saturated with the rain.

The violence of the rain itself mitigated ; but the wind abso-
lutely raged. We had infinite trouble to unrol our miserable tents,
heavy and impracticable with wet, like a large sheet just taken from
the washing-tub. The difficulty seemed insuperable when we at-
tempted to stretch it upon its poles, and we should never have suc-
ceeded at all, but for the extraordinary muscular power with which
Samdadchiemba was endowed. At length we efiected a shelter
from the wind, and from a small cold rain with which it was ac-
companied. When our lodging was established, Samdadchiemba
addressed us in these consolatory words : — " My spiritual fathers,
I told you we should not die to-day of thirst ; but I am not at all
sure that we don't run some risk of dying of hunger." In point
of fact, there seemed no possibility of making a fire. There was not
a tree, not a shrub, not a root to be seen. As to argols, they were
out of the question ; the rain had long since reduced that combus
tible of the desert to a liquid pulp.

We had formed our resolution, and were on the point of making

THIBET, A^'D CHINA. 43

a supper of meal steeped iu a little cold water, wlien we saw ap-
proaching us two 'Jartars, leadiug a small camel. After the usual
salutations, one of them said : " tSirs Lamas, this day the heavens
have fallen ; you, douhtless, have been unable to make a fire."
" Alas! how should we make a fire, when we have no argols?"
" Men are all brothers, and belong each to tlie other. But laymen
should honour and serve the holy ones; therefore it is that we
have come to make a fire for you." The worthy Tartars had seen
us setting up our tent, and conceiving our embarrassment, had
hastened to relieve it by a present of two bundles of argols. We
thanked Providence fortius unexpected succour, and the Dchiahour
immediately made a fire, and set about the preparation of an oatmeal
supper. The quantity was on this occasion augmented in favour of
the two friends who had so opportunely presented themselves.

During our modest repast, we noticed that one of these Tartars
was ttie object of especial attention on the part of his comrade.
We asked him what military grade he occupied in the Blue Banner.
" When the banners of Tchakar marched two years ago against
the Rebels of the Soutl),^ I held the rank of Tchouanda." " What!
were you in that famous war of the South ? But how is it that
you, shepherds of the plains, have also the courage of soldiers ?
Accustomed to a life of peace, one would imagine that you would
never be reconciled to the terrible trade of a soldier, which consists
in killing others or being killed yourselves." ''Yes, yes, we are
shepherds, it is true; but we never forget that we are soldiers
also, and that the Eight Banners compose the army of i-eserve of
the Grand Master (the Emperor). You know the rule of the Em-
pire ; when the enemy appears, they send against them, first — the
Kitat soldiers; next, the banners of the Solon countiy are set in
motion. If the war is not finished then, all they have to do is to
give the signal to the banners of the Tchakar, the mere sound of
whose march always suffices to reduce the rebels to subjection."

"Were all the banners of Tchakar called together for this
southern war?" " Y^es, all; at first it was thought a small matter,
and every one said that it would never affect the Tchakar. The
troops of Kitat went first, but they did nothing ; the banners of
Solon also marched; but they could not bear the heat of the South;
— then the Emperor sent us his sacred order. Each man selected
his best horse, removed the dust from his bow and Cjuiver, and
scraped the rust from his lance. In every tent a sheep was
killed for the feast of departure. Women and children wept, but
we addressed to them the words of reason. ' Here,' said we, ' for

1 The English, then at war with the Chinese, were designated by the Tartars
the Rebels of the South.

44

TRAVELS IN TARTART,

six generations have we received tlie benefits of the Sacred Master,
and he has asked from us nothing in return. Now that he has
need of us can we hold hack? He has given to us the fine region
of Tchakar to be a pasture-land for our cattle, and at the same time
a barrier for him against the Khalkhas. But now, since it is from
the South the rebels came, we must march to the South.' Was not
reason in our mouths, Sirs Lamas? Yes, we resolved to march.
The Sacred Ordinance reached us at sun-rise, and already by noon
the Bochehous at the head of their men, stood bv the Tchonanda ;

THE EMIEROR TAOKOUJ

next to these were the Nourov-Tchayn, and then the Oinjrmrda. Tlie
same day we marched to Peking ; ironi Peking they led us to Tien-
Tsin-Veï, where we remained for three months." *' Did you fight,"
asked Samdadchiemba; " did you see the enemy ?" " No, they did
not dare to appear. The Kitat told us everywhere that we were
marching upon certain and unavailing death. ' What can you do,'
asked they, ' against sea -monsters ? They live in the water like fish.
Wben you least expect them, they appear on the surface, and hurl
their fire-bombs at you; while, the instant your bow is bent to shoot
them, down they dive like frogs.' Then they essayed to frighten

THIBET, AND CHINA. 45

us; but we soldiers of the Eight Banners know not fear. Before
our departure the great Lamas had oj^ened the Book of Celestial
Secrets, and had thence learned that tlie matter would end well for
us. The Emperor had attached to each Tchouanda a Lama, learned
in medicine, and skilled in all the sacred auguries, who was to cure
all the soldiers under him of the diseases of the climate, and to
jirotect us from the magic of the sea-monsters. What then had we
to fear? The rebels, hearing that the invincible troops of Tchakar
were approaching, were seized with fear, and sought peace. The
Sacred Master, of his immense mercy, granted it, and we returned
to the care of our flocks."

The narrative of this Illustrious Sword was to us full of intense
interest. We forgot for a moment the miseiy of our position amid
the desert. We were eager to collect further details of the ex])ec]i-
tion of the English against China; but night falling, the two Tar-
tars took their way homeward.

Thus left once more alone, our thoughts became exceedingly sad
and sombre. We shuddered at the idea so recalled to us of the
long night just commencing. How were we to get any sleep.'
The interior of the tent was little better than a mud heap; the
great fire we had been keeping up had not half dried our clothes;
it had merely resolved a portion of the water into a thick vapour that
steamed about us. The furs, which we used at night by way of
mattress, were in a deplorable condition, not a whit better for the
purpose than the skin of a drowned cat. In this doleful condition
of things, a reflection, full of gentle melancholy, came into our
minds, and consoled us ; we remembered that we were the disciples
of Him who said, " The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air
have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head."

We became so fatigued, after remaining awake the greater part
of the night, that sleep conquering us, we fell into a restless doze,
seated over the embers of the fire, our arms crossed, and our heads
bent forward, in the most uncomfortable position possible.

It was with extreme delight that we hailed the termination of
that long and dreary night. At daybreak, the blue, cloudless sky^
presaged compensation for the wretchedness of the j^receding
evening. By-and-by, the sun rising clear and brilliant, inspii-ed us
with the hope that our still wet clothes would soon get dry as we
proceeded on our way. We speedily made all preparations for de-
parture, and the caravan set forth. The weather was magnificent.
By degrees, the large grass of the praiiie raised its bi-oad head,
which had been depressed by the heavy rain; the gi-ound became
firmer, and we experienced, with delight, the gentle heat of the sun's
ascending rays. At last, to complete our satisfaction, we entered

46 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

upon the plains of the Red Banner, the most picturesque of the
whole ïchakar.

Teliakar signifies, in the Mongol tongue, Border-Land. This
country is limited, on the east by the kingdom of Gechekteti, on the
west by JVesteni Toumet, on the north by the 8ouniot, on the south
by the Great Wall. Its extent- is 150 leagues long, by 100 broad.
The inhabitants of the Tdiakar are all paid soldiers of the Emperor.
The foot soldiers receive twelve ounces of silver j)er annum, and the
cavalry twenty-four.

The Teliakar is divided into eight banners — in Chinese Pa-Ki
—distinguished by the name of eight colours : white, blue, red,
yellow, French vt^hite, light blue, pink, and light yellow. Each
banner has its separate territory, and a tribunal, named Noiirou-
Tchayn, having jurisdiction over all the matters that may occur in
the Banner. Besides this tribunal, there is, in each of the Eight
Banners, a chief called Ou-Gourdha. Of the eight On-GourdJias
one is selected to fill at the same time, the post of governor-general
of the Eight Banners. All these dignitaries are nominated and
paid by the Emperor of China. In fact, the Tchakar is nothing
more nor less than a vast camp, occupied by an army of reserve.
In order, no doubt, that this array may be at all times ready to
march at the first signal, the Tartars are severely prohibited to culti-
vate the land. They must live upon their pay, and upon the produce
of their flocks and herds. The entire soil of the Eight Banners is in-
alienable. It sometimes happens that an individual sells his por-
tion to some Chinese ; but the sale is always declared null and void
if it comes in any shape before the tribunals.

It is in these pasturages of the Tchakar that are found the nu-
merous and magnificent herds and flocks of the Emperor, consisting
of camels, horses, cattle, and sheep. There are 360 herds of
liorses alone, each numbering 1200 horses. It is easy from this
one detail, to imagine the enormous extent of animals possessed
here by the Emperor. A Tartar, decorated with the white button,
has charge of each herd. At certain intervals, inspectors-
general visit the herds, and if any deficiency in the nnmber is dis-
covered, the chief herdsman has to make it good at his own cost.
Notwithstanding this impending penalty, the Tartars do not fail
to convert to their own use the wealth of the Sacred Master, by
means of a fraudulent exchange. Whenever a Chinese has a
broken-winded horse, or a lame ox, he takes it to the imperial
herdsman, who, for a trifling consideration, allows him to select
what animal he pleases in exchange, from among the imperial
herds. Being thus always provided with the actual number of
animals, they can benefit by their fraud in perfect security.

THIBET, AND CHINA. 47

Never in more splendid weatlier had we traversed a more splendid
country. The desert is at times horrible, hideous ; but it has also
its charms — charms all the more intensely appreciated, because
they are rare in themselves, and because they would in vain be
sought in populated countries. Tartary has an aspect altogether
pecidiar to itself: there is nothing in the world that at all resem-
bles a Tartar landscape. In civilised countries you find, at every
step, populous towns, a rich and varied cultivation, the thousand
and one productions of arts and industry, the incessant movements
of commerce. You are constantly impelled onwards, carried away,
as it were, by some vast whirlwind. On the other hand, in coun-
tries where civilisation has not as yet made its way into the light,
you ordinarily find nothing but primeval forests in all the pomp of
their exuberant and gigantic vegetation. The soul seems crushed
beneath a nature all powerful and majestic. There is nothing of
the kind in Tartary. I'here are no towns, no edifices, no arts, no
industry, no cultivation, no forests ; everywhere it is prairie, some-
times inteiTupted by immense lakes, by majestic rivers, by rugged
and imposing mountains ; sometimes spreading out into vast limit-
less plains. 'J'here, in these verdant solitudes, the bounds of which
seem lost in the remote horizon, you might imagine yourself gently
rocking on the calm waves of some broad ocean. The aspect of
the prairies of ^lougolia excites neither joy nor soitow, but rather
a mixture of the two, a sentiment of gentle, religious melancholy,
which gradually elevates the soul, without wholly excluding from
its contemplation the things of this world ; a sentiment which
belongs rather to Heaven than to eaith, and which seems in ad-
mirable conformity with the nature of intellect served by organs.

You sometimes in Tartary come upon plains more animated
than those you have just traversed; they are those, whither the
greater supply of water and the choicest pastures have attracted
for a time a number of nomadic families. There yon see rising
in all directions tents of various dimensions, looking like balloons
newly inflated, and just about to take their flight into the air.
Children, with a sort of hod at their backs, run abont collecting
argols, which they pile np in heaps around their respective tents.
The matrons look after the calves, make tea in the open air, or
prepare milk in various ways ; the men, mounted on fiery horses,
and armed with a long pole, gallop about, guiding to the best pas-
tures the great herds of cattle which undulate, in the distance all
around, like waves of the sea.

All of a sudden these pictures, so full of animation, disappear,
and you see nothing of that which of late was so fidl of life. Men,
tents, herds, all have vanished in the twinkling of an eye. You

48

TKAVEF.S IN TARTARY,

merely see in the desert heaps of embers, half-extiuguished fires,
and a few bones, of wliich birds of prey are disputing the posses-
sion. Such are the sole vestiges which announce that a Mongol
ti'ibe has just passed that way. If you ask the reason of these
abrupt migrations, it is simply this: — the animals having devoured
all the grass that grew in the vicinity, the chief had given the
signal for departure; and all the shepherds, folding their tents, had
driven their herds before them, and proceeded, no matter whither,
in search of fresh fields and pastures new.

After having journeyed the entire day through the delicious
prairies of the Eed Banner, we halted to encamp for the night in a
valley that seemed full of people. We had scarcely alighted, when

TARTAR ENCAMrMI'

a number of Tartars approached, and offered their services. After
having assisted us to unload our camels, and set up our house of
blue linen, they invited us to come and take tea in their tents. As
it was late, however, we stayed at home, promising to pay them a
visit next morning; for the hospitable invitation of our new neigh-
bours determined us to remain for a day amongst them. We were,
moreover, very well pleased to profit by the beauty of the weather,
and of the locality, to recover from the fatigues we had undergone
the day before.

Next morning, the time not appropriated to our little household
cares, and the recitation of our Breviary, was devoted to visiting
the Mongol tents, Samdadchiemba being left at home in charge of
the tent.

THIBET, AND CHINA. 49

We had to take especial care to the safety of our legs, menaced
by a whole host of watchdogs. A small stick sufficed for the pur-
pose; but Tartar etiquette required us to leave these weapons at
the threshold of our host's abode. To enter a man's tent with a
whip or a stick in your hand is as great an insult as you can offer
to the family; and quite tantamount to saying, "You are all dogs."

Visiting amongst the Tartars is a frank, simple atiair, altogetlier
exempt from the endless formalities of Chinese gentility. On en-
tering, you give the word of peace amor or inendoK, to the company
generally. You then seat yourself on the right of the head of tlie
family, whom you find squatting on the floor, opposite the entrance.
Next, everybody takes from a pin-se suspended at his girdle a little
snuff-bottle, and mutual pinches accompany such phrases as these :
" Is the pasturage with you rich and abundant?" " Are your herds
in fine condition?" "Are your mares productive?" "Did you
travel in peace ?" " Does tranquillity prevail ?" and so on. These
questions and their answers being interchanged always with intense
gi-avity on both sides, the mistress of the tent, without saying a
word, holds out her hand to the visitor. He as silently takes from
his breast-pocket the small wooden bowl, the indispensable vade-
mecum of all Tartars, and presents it to his hostess, who fills it
with tea and milk, and returns it. In the richer, more easily circum-
stanced families, visitors have a small table placed before them, on
which is butter, oatmeal, grated millet, and hits of cheese, sepa-
rately contained in little boxes of polished wood. These Tartar
delicacies the visitors take mixed with their tea. Such as propose
to treat their guests in a style of perfect magnificence make them
partakers of a bottle of Mongol wine, warmed in the ashes. This
wine is nothing more than skimmed milk, subjected lor awhile to
vinous fermentation, and distilled through a rude apparatus that
does the office of an alembic. One must be a thorough Tartar to
relish or even endure this beverage, the flavour and odour of which
are alike insipid.

The Mongol tent, for about three feet from the ground, is cylin-
drical in form. It then becomes conical, like a pointed hat. The
woodwork of the tent is composed below of a trellis-w^ork of crossed
bars, which fold up and expand at pleasure. Above these, a circle
of poles, fixed in the trellis-work, meets at the top, like the sticks of
an umbrella. Over the woodwork is stretched, once or twice, a
thick covering of coarse linen, and thus the tent is composed. The
door, which is always a folding door, is low and narrow. A beam
crosses it at the bottom by way of threshold, so that on entering
you have at once to raise yom* feet and lower yoiu* head. Besides
the door there is another opening at the top of the tent to let out

50

TRAVELS IN TARTAR!',

the smoke. This opeuing can at any time be closed with a piece of
felt fastened above it in the tent, and which can be pulled over it
by means of a string, the end of which hangs by the door.

The interior is divided into two compartments; that on the left,
as you enter, is reserved for the men, and thither the visitors pro-
ceed. Any man who should enter on the right side would be consi-

JN I ERIOR

dered excessively rude. The right compartment is occupied by the
women, and there you find the culinary utensils : large earthen ves-
sels of glazed earth, wherein to keep the store of water; trunks of
trees, of different sizes, hollowed into the shape of pails, and des-
tined to contain the preparations of milk, in the various forms
which they make it undergo. In the centre of the tent is a large
trivet, planted in the earth, and always ready to receive the large
iron bell-shaped cauldron that stands by, ready for use.

Behind the hearth, and facing the door, is a kind of sofa, the
most singular piece of furaiture that we met with among the
Tartars. At the two ends are two pillows, having at their extremity
plates of copper, gilt, and skilfully engraved. There is probally
not a single tent where you do not find this little couch, which
seems to be an essential article of furniture; but, stiange to say,

THIBET, AND CHINA 51

during our long journey we never saw one of them whicli seemed
to have been recently made. We had occasion to visit Mongol
families, where everything bore the mark of easy circumstances,
even of affluence, but everywhere alike this singular eoucli was
shabby, and of ancient fabric. But yet it seems made to last for
ever, and is regularly transmitted li'om generation to generation.

In the towns where Tartar commerce is carried on, you may hunt
through every furniture shop, every broker s, every pawnbroker's,
but vou meet with not one of these pieces of furniture, new or old.

At the side of the couch, towards the men's quarter, there is
ordinarily a small square press, which contains the various odds
and ends that serve to set off the costume of this simple people.
This chest serves likewise as an altar for a small image of Buddha.
The divinity, in wood or co]iper, is usually in a sitting posture, the
legs crossed, and enveloped iip to the neck in a scarf of old yellow
silk. Nine copper vases, of the size and form of our liqueur glasses.
are symmetrically arranged before Buddha. It is in these small
chalices that the Tartars daily make to their idol offerings of water,
milk, butter, and meal. A few Thibetiau books, wrapped in yellow
silk, perfect the decoration of the little pagoda. Those whose
heads are shaved, and who observe celibacy, have alone tbe privi-
lege of touching these prayer-books. A layman, who should ven-
ture to take them into his impure and profane hands, would commit
a sacrilege.

A number of goats' horns, fixed in the woodwork of the tent,
complete the furniture of the Mongol habitation. On these hang
the joints of beef or mutton destined for the family's use, vessels
filled with butter, bows, aiTOws, and matchlocks : for there is
scarcely a Tartar family which does not possess at least one fire-
arm. We were, therefore, surprised to find M. Timkouski, in his
Journey to Peking,^ making this strange statement: " The sound of
our fire-anns attracted the attention of the Mongols, who are
acquainted only with bows and arrows." The Russian writer
should have known that fire-arms are not so foreign to the Tartars
as he imagined ; since it is proved that already, as early as the com
mencement of the 13th century, Tclieng-Ku-Klian had artilleiy in
his armies.

The odour peiwading the interior of the Mongol tents, is, to
those not accustomed to it, disgusting and almost insiq^portable.
This smell, so ])otent sometimes that it seems to make one's heart
rise to one's throat, is occasioned by the mutton grease and butter
with which everything on or about a Tartar is impregnated. It is

1 " Voyage à Peking, à travers la Mongolie, par M. G. Timkouski," chap,
ii., p. 57.

6'2 TRAVELS IN TAETARY,

Oil account of this habitual filth, that they are called Tsao-Ta-Dze,
(Stinking Tartars), by the Chinese, themselves not altogether
inodorous, or by any means particular about cleanliness.

Among the Tartars, household and family cares rest entirely
upon the woman; it is she who milks the cows, and prepares the
butter, cheese, &c. ; who goes, no matter how far, to draw water ;
who collects the argol fuel, dries it, and piles it around the tent.
The making of clothes, the tanning of skins, the fulling of clotli,
all appertains to her; the sole assistance she obtains, in these
various labours, being that of her sons, and then oniy while they
are quite young.

The occupations of the men are of very limited range ; they con-
sist wholly in conducting tlie flocks and herds to pasture. This
for men accustomed from their infancy to horseback is rather an
amusement than a labour. In point of fact, the nearest approach
to fatigue they ever incur, is when some of their cattle escape; they
then dash off at full gallop, in jDursuit, up hill and down dale, until
they have found the missing animals, and brought them back to
the herd. The Tartars sometimes hunt ; but it is rather with a
view to what they can catch than from any amusement they derive
from the exercise ; the only occasions on which they go out with
their bows and matchlocks are when they desire to shoot roebucks,
deer, or pheasants, as presents for their chiefs. Foxes they always
course. To shoot them, or take them in traps, would, they consider,
injure the skin, which is held in high esthnation among them.
They ridicule the Chinese immensely on account of their trapping
these animals at night. " We," said a famous hunter of the Red
Banner to us, " set about the thing in an honest straightforward way.
When we see a fox, we jump on horseback, and gallop after him till
we have run him down."

With the exception of their equestrian exercises, the Mongol
Tartars pass their time in an absolute far niente, sleeping all night,
and squatting all day in their tents, dosing, drinking tea, or smok-
ing. At intervals, however, the Tartar conceives a fancy to take
a lounge abroad ; and his lounge is somewhat different trom that of
the Parisian idler ; he needs neither cane nor quizzing glass; but
when the fancy occiu-s, he takes down his whip from its place above
the door, mounts his horse, always ready saddled outside the door,
and dashes off* into the desert, no matter whither. When he sees
another horseman in the distance, he rides up to him; when he
sees the smoke of a tent, he rides up to that; the only object in
either case being to have a chat with some new person.

The two days we passed in these fine plains of the TchaJcar,
were not without good use. We were able at leisure to dry and

THIBET, AND CHINA. 53

repair our clothes and our baggage; but, above all, it gave us an
opportunity to study the Tartars close at hand, and to initiate our
selves in the habits of the nomad peoples. As we were making pre-
parations for departure, these temporaiy neighbours aided us to
fold our tent and to load our camels. " Sirs Lamas," said they,
"you had better encamp to-night at the Three Lakes; the pasturage
there is good and abundant. If you make haste you will reach the
place before sunset. On this side, and on the other side of the
Three Lakes, there is no water for a considerable distance. Sirs
Lamas, a good journey to you ! " " Peace be with you, and fare
■well!" responded we, and with that proceeded once more on our
way, Samdadchiemba heading the caravan, mounted on his little
black mule. We quitted this encampment without regiet, just as we
had quitted preceding encampments; except indeed, that here we left,
on the spot where our tent had stood, a gi-eater heap of ashes, and
that the gi-ass around it was more trodden than was usual with us.

During the morning the weather was magnificent, though
somewhat cold. But in the afternoon the north wind rose, and be-
gan to blow with extreme violence. It soon became so cutting, that
we regretted we had not with us our great fur caps, to operate as a
protector for the face. We hurried on, in order the sooner to reach
the Three Lakes, and to have the shelter there of oiu' dear tent.
In the hope of discovering these lakes, that had been promised us
by our late friends, we were constantly looking right and left, but
in vain. It grew late, and, according to the information of the
Tartars, we began to fear we nmst have passed the only encamp-
ment we were likely to find that day. By dint of straining om-
eyes, we at length got sight of a horseman, slowly riding along the
bottom of a lateral valley. He was at some distance from us; but
it was essential that we should obtain information from him. M.
Gabet accordingly hastened after him, at the utmost speed of his
tall camel's long legs. The horseman heard the cries of the camel,
looked back, and seeing that some one was approaching him, turned
his horse round, and galloped towards M. Gabet. As soon as he
got within ear-shot : " Holy personage," cried he, " has your eye
j)erceived the yellow goats? I have lost all traces of them." " I
have not seen the yellow goats ; I seek water, and cannot find it.
Is it far hence?" "Whence came you? Whither go you?" "I
belong to the little caravan you see yonder. We have been told
that we should this evening on our way, find lakes, upon the banks
of which we could commodiously encamp ; but hitherto we have
seen nothing of the kind." " How could that be ? 'Tis but a few
minutes ago you passed within a few yards of the water. Sir*
Lama, pennit me to attend your shadow; I will guide you to the

54 TRAVEI,S IN TARTAÎIY,

Three Lakes." And so saying, he gave his horse three swinging
lashes with his whip, in order to jnit it into a pace commensurate
with that of the camel. In a minute he had joined us. " Men of
prayer," said the hunter, " you have come somewhat too far ; you
must turn back. Look" (pointing with his bow) " yonder, you see
those storks hovering over some reeds : there you will find the
Three Lakes." "Thanks, brother," said we; "we regret that we
cannot show you your yellow goats as clearly as you have shown
us the Three Lakes." The Mongol hunter saluted us, v/ith his
clasped hands raised to his forehead, and we proceeded with entire
confidence towards the spot he had pointed out. We had advanced
but a few paces before we found indications of the near presence of
some peculiar waters. The grass was less continuous and less
green, and cracked under our animals' hoofs like dried leaves ; the
white efilorescence of saltpetre manifested itself more and more
thickly. At last we found ourselves on the bank of one lake, near
which were two others. We immediately alighted, and set about
erecting our tent; but the wind was so violent that it was only
after long labour and much patience that we completed the task. '

While Samdadchiemba was boiling our tea, we amused ourselves
with watching the camels as they luxuriously licked up the salt-
petre with wliich the ground was powdered. Next they bent over
the edge of the lake, and inhaled long, insatiable draughts of the
brackish water, which we could see ascending their long necks as
up some flexible pump.

We had been for some time occupied in this not unpicturesque
recreation, when, all of a sudden, we heard behind us a confused,
tumultuous noise, resembling the vehement flapping of sails,
beaten about by contrary and violent winds. Soon we distinguished,
amid the uproar, loud cries proceeding from Samdadchiemba. We
hastened towards him, and were just in time to prevent, by our
co-operation, the typhoon from uprooting and carrying olf our
linen louvre. Since our arrival, the wind, augmenting in violence,
had also changed its direction; so that it now blew exactly from
the quarter facing which we had placed the opening of our tent.
We had especial occasion to fear that the tent would be set on
fire by the lighted argols that were driven about by the wind.
Our first business therefore was to tack about ; and after a while
we succeeded in making our tent secure, and so got ofi' with our
fear and a little fatigue. The misadventure, however, put Sam-
dadchiemba into a desperately bad humour throughout tlie evening;
for the wind, by extinguishing the fire, delayed the preparation of
his darling tea.

The wind fell as the night advanced, and by degrees the

THIBET, AND CHINA. 55

weather became magnificent; the sky was clear, the moon full and
bright, and the stars glittered like diamonds. Alone, in this vast soh-
tude, we distinguislied in the distance only the fantastic and indis-
tinct outline of the mountains which loomed in the horizon like
gigantic phantoms, while the only sound we heard was the cries of
the thousand aquatic birds, as, on the surface of the lakes, they
contended for the ends of the reeds and the broad leaves of the
water-lily. Samdadchiemba was by no means a f)erson to appre-
ciate the charms of this tranquil scene. He had succeeded in
again lighting the fire, and was absorbed in the preparation of his
tea. We accordingly left him squatted before the kettle, and went
to recite the service, walking round the larger lake, which was nearly
half a league in circuit. We had proceeded about half round it,
praying | alternately, when insensibly om- voices fell, and our
steps were stayed. We both stopped spontaneously, and listened in-
tently, without ventui-ing to interchange a word, and even endea-
vouring to suppress our respiration. At last we expressed to each
other the cause of our mutual terror, but it was in tones low and
full of emotion : " Did you not hear, just now, and quite close
to us, what seemed the voices of men?" "Yes, a number of
voices, speaking as though in secret consultation." " Yet we are
alone here: — 'tis very surprising. Hist ! let us listen again." "I
liear nothing; doubtless we were under some illusion." We re
sumed our walk, and the recitation of our prayers. But we had
not advanced ten steps, before we again stopped ; for we licai'd, and
very distinctly, the noise which had before alarmed us, and which
seemed the confused vague murmur of several voices discussing
some point in under tones. Yet nothing was visible. We got
upon a hillock, and thence, by the moon's light, saw, at a short dis-
tance, some human forms moving in the long gi-ass. We coidd
hear their voices too, but not distinctly enough to know whether
they spoke Chinese or Tartar. We retraced our steps to our tent,
as rapidly as was consistent with the maintenance of silence; for
we took these people to be robbers, who, ha\-ing perceived our tent,
were deliberating as to the best means of pillaging us.

" We are not in safety here," said we to Samdadchiemba; " we
have discovered, quite close to us, a number of men, and we
have heard their voices. Go and collect the animals, and bring
them to the tent." " But," asked Samdadcldemba, knitting his
brows, "if the robbers come, what shall we do? May we fight
them? May we kill them? Will Holy Church permit that?"
" First go and collect tlie animals ; afterwards we will tell you what
we must do." The animals being brought together, and fastened
outside the tent, we dii-ected our intrepid Samdadchiemba to finish

56 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

his tea, and we returned on tip-toe to the spot where we had seen
and heard our mysterious visitors. We looked around in every
direction, with eye and ear intent ; hut we could neither see nor
hear any one. A well-trodden pathway, however, which we dis-
covered among the reeds of tall grass on the margin of the greater
lake, indicated to us that those whom we had taken to be robbers
were inoffensive passengers, whose route lay in that direction. We
returned joyfully to our tent, where we found our valorous Samdad-
chieinba actively employed in sharpening, upon the top of his
leather boots, a great Russian cutlass, which he had purchased at
Tolon-Nonr. *' Well," exclaimed he, fiercely, trying with his thumb
the edge of his sword, " where are the robbers?" " There are no
robbers; unrol the goatskins, that we may go to sleep." " 'Tis
a pity there are no robbers ; for here is something that would have
cut into them famously ! " " Ay, ay, Samdadchiemba, you are
wonderfully brave now, because you know there are no robbers."
" Oh, my spiritual fathers, it is not so ; one should always speak
the words of candour. I admit that my memory is very bad, and
that I have never been able to learn many prayers ; but as to
courage, I may boast of having as much of it as another." We
laughed at this singularly expressed sally. " You laugh, my spiri-
tual fathers," said Samdadcliiemba. " Oh, you do not know the
Dchiahours. In the west, the land of San-Tchouon (Three
Valleys) enjoys much renown. My coimtrymen hold life in little
value; they have always a sabre by their side, and a long match-
lock on then- shoulder. For a word, for a look, they fight and kill
one another. A Dchiahour, who has never killed any one, is con-
sidered to have no right to hold his head up among his countiymen.
He cannot pretend to the character of a brave man." " Very fine!
Well, you are a brave man, you say : tell us how many men did
you kill when you were in the Three Valleys ?" Samdadchiemba
seemed somewhat disconcerted by this question ; he looked away, and
broke out into a forced laugh. At last, by way of diverting the sub-
ject, he plunged his cup into the kettle, and drew it out full of tea.
" Come,'' said we,"drink yourtea, and then tell us about your exploits."

Samdadchiemba wiped his cup with the skirt of his jacket, and
having replaced it in his bosom, addressed us gravely, thus : " My
spiritual fathers, since you desire I should speak to you about
myself, I will do so ; it was a great sin I committed, but T think
Jehovah pardoned me when I entered the holy Church.

" I was quite a child, not more at the utmost, than seven years
old. I was in the fields about my father's house, tending an old
she-donkey, the only animal we possessed. One of my companions,
a boy about ray own age, came to play with me. We began quar-

THIBET, AND CHINA. 57

relling, and from words fell to blows. I struck liim on the head
with a great root of a tree that I had in my hand, and the blow was
so heavy that he fell motionless at my feet. When I saw my com-
panion stretched on the earth, I stood for a moment as it were
paralysed, not knowing what to think or to do. Then an awful fear
came over me, that I should be seized and killed. I looked all about
me in search of a hole wherein I might conceal my companion, but
I saw nothing of the kind. I then thought of hiding myself At a
short distance from our house there was a great pile of brushwood,
collected for fuel. I directed my steps thither, and with great labour
made a hole, into which, after desperately scratching myself, I ma-
naged to creep up to my neck, resolved never to come out of it.

" When night fell, I found they were seeking me. My mother was
calhng me in all directions ; but I took good cai'e not to answer. I
was even anxious not to move the brushwood, lest the sound
should lead to my discovery, and, as I anticipated, to my being
killed. I was terribly frightened when I heard a number of people
crying out, and disputing, I concluded, about me. The night passed
away ; in the morning I felt devouringly hungry. I began to cry ;
but I could not even cry at my ease, for I feared to be discovered
by the people whom I heard moving about, and I was resolved
never to quit the brushwood." — " But were you not afiaid you
should die of hunger?" — "The idea never occurred to me; I felt
hungry indeed, but that was all. The reason I had for concealing
myself was that I might not die; for I thought that if they did not
find me, of course they could not kill me " — "Well, and how long
did you remain in the brushwood?" — "Well, I have often heard
people say that you can't remain long without eating; but those
who say so, never tried the experiment. I can answer for it, that
a boy of seven years old can live, at all events, three days and four
nights, without eating anything whatever.

" After the fourth night, early in the morning, they found me
in my hole. When I felt they were taking me out, I struggled as
well as I could, and endeavoured to get away. My father took me
by the arm. I cried and sobbed, ' Do not kill me, do not kill me,'
cried I; * it was not I who killed Nasamhoyan.'' They carried me to
the house, for I would not walk. While I wept, in utter despair,
the people about me laughed. At last they told me not to be afi-aid,
for that Nasamboyan was not dead, and scon afterwards Nasam-
hoyan came into the room as well as ever, only that he had a great
bruise on his face. The blow I had struck him had merely knocked
him down, and stunned him."

When the Dchiahoiu' had finished this naiTative, he looked at
us in tm-ns, laughing and repeating, again and again, " Who will

D

58 TRAVELS IN ^TARTARY,

say people cannot live without eating?" "Well," said we, "tliis
is a very good beginning, Samdadclnemba ; but you have not told
us yet how many men you have killed." " I never killed any one ;
but that Avas merely because I did not stay long enough in my
native Three Valleys ; for at the age of ten they put me into a great
Lamasery. I had for my especial mastei- a very rough, cross man,
who gave me the strap every day, because I could not repeat the
prayers he taught me. But it was to no purpose he beat me; I
could learn nothing: so he left off teaching me, and sent me out to
fetch water and collect fuel. But he continued to thrash me as
hard as ever, until the life I led became quite insupportable, and
at last I ran off with some provisions, and made my way towards
Tartary. After walking several days, haphazard, and perfectly
ignorant where I was, I encountered the train of a Grand Lama
who was repairing to Peking. I joined the caravan, and was em-
ployed to take charge of a flock of sheep that accompanied the
party, and served for its food. There was no room for me in any
of the tents, so I had to sleep in the open air. One evening I
took up my quarters behind a rock, which sheltered me from the
wind. In the morning, waking somewhat later than usual, I found
the encampment struck, and the people all gone. I was left alone
in the desert. At this time I knew nothing about east, west,
north, or south ; I had consequently no resource but to wander on
at random, until I should find some Tartar station. I lived in this
way for three years — now here, now tliere, exchanging such slight
services as I could render for my food and tent-room. At last I
reached Peking, and presented myself at the gate of the Great
Lamasery of Hoang-Sse, which is entirely composed of Dchiahour
and Tbibetian Lamas. I was at once admitted, and my country-
men having clubbed together to buy me a red scarf and a yellow
cap, I was enabled to join the chorus in the recitation of prayers,
and, of consequence, to claim my share in the distribution of
alms." — We interrupted Samdadchiemba at this point, in order to
learn from him how he could take part in the recitation of prayers,
without having learned either to read or pray. — " Oh," said he,
" the thing was easy enough. They gave me an old book ; I held it on
my knees, and mumbling out some gibberish between my lips, endea-
voured to catch the tone of my neighbours. When they turned over a
leaf, I turned over a leaf; so that, altogether, there was no reason why
the leader of the chorus should take any notice of my manoeuvre.

" One day, however, a circumstance occurred that very nearly
occasioned my expulsion from the Lamasery. An ill-natured
Lama, who had remarked my method of reciting the prayers, used
to amuse himself with mocking me, and creating a laugh at my
expense. When the Em])eror's mother died, we were all invited to

THIBET, AND CHINA. 59

the Yellow Palace to recite jirayers. Before the ceremony com-
menced, I was sitting quietly in my place, with my book on my
knees, when this roguish fellow came gently behind me, and look-
ing over my shoulder mumbled out something or other in imitation
of my manner. Losing all self-jjossession, 1 gave him so hard a
blow upon the face, that he fell on his back. The incident excited
great confusion in the Yellow Palace. The superiors were informed
of the matter, and by the severe rules of Thibetian discipline, I
was liable to be flogged for three days with the black whip, and
then, my hands and feet in irons, to be imprisoned for a year in the
tower of the Lamasery. One of the principals, however, who had
taken notice of me before, interposed in my favour. He went to the
Lamas who constituted the council of discipline, and represented
to them the fact that the disciple who had been strack was a per-
son notorious for annoying his companions, and that 1 had received
extreme provocation from him. He spoke so warmly in my favom'
that I was pardoned on the mere condition of malving an apology.
I accordingly placed myself in the way of the Lama whom I
had offended : ' Brother,' said I, ' shall we go and drink a cup of
tea together?' * Certainly,' replied he; 'there is no reason why I
should not drink a cup of tea with you.' We went out, and
entered the first tea-house that presented itself. Seating ourselves
at one of the tables in the tea-room, I oft'ered my snuff- bottle to
my companion, saying : * Elder brother, the other day we had a
little disagreement ; that was not well. You must confess that you
were not altogether free from blame. I, on my part, admit thai I
dealt too heavy a blow. But the matter has grown old ; we will
think no more about it.' We then drank our tea, interchanged
various civilities, and so the thing ended."

These and similar anecdotes of our Dchiahour had carried us far
into the night. The camels, indeed, were already up and browsing
their breakfast on the banks of the lake. W^e had but brief time
before us for repose. "For my part," said Samdadchiemba, "1
will not lie down at all, but look after the camels. Day will soon
break. Meantime I'll make a good fire, and prepare the pan-tan.'''

It was not long before Samdadchiemba roused us with the in-
timation that the sun was up, and the pan-tan ready. We at once
rose, and after eating a cup of pan-tan, or, in other words, of oat-
meal diluted with boiling water, we planted our little cross upon a
hillock, and proceeded upon om- pilgrimage.

It was past noon when we came to a place where three wells
had been dug, at short distances, the one from the other. Although
it was early in the day, we still thought we had better encamp here.
A vast plain, on which we could discern no sort of habitation,
stretched out before us to the distant horizon ; and we might fairly

60 TRAVELS IN TARTAEY.

conclude it destitute of water, since the Tartars had taken tlie
trouble to dig these wells. We therefore set up our tent. We soon
found, however, that we had selected a detestable encampment.
With excessive nastiness of very brackish and very fetid water was
combined extreme scarcity of fuel. We looked about for argols,
but in vain. At last Samdadchiemba, whose eyes were better than
ours, discerned in the distance a sort of enclosure, in which he
concluded that cattle had been folded. He took a camel with him
to the place in the hope of finding plenty of ai'gols there, and he
certainly returned with an ample supply of the article ; but unfor-
tunately the precious manure-fuel was not quite dry ; it absolutely
refused to burn. The Dchiahour essayed an experiment. He hol-
lowed out a sort of furnace in the ground, surmounting it with a
turf chimney. The structure was extremely picturesque, but it
laboured under the enormous disadvantage of being wholly useless.
Samdadchiemba arranged and re-arranged his fuel, and puffed, and
puffed, with the full force of his potent lungs. It was all lost labour.
There was smoke enough, and to spare ; we were enveloped in smoke,
but not a spark of fire : and the water in the kettle remained relent-
lessly passive. It was obvious that to boil our tea or heat oatmeal
was out of the question. Yet we were anxious, at all events, to take
the chill off the water, so as to disguise, by the warmth, its brackish
flavour and its disagreeable smell. We adopted this expedient.

You meet in the jDlains of Mongolia with a sort of grey squirrel,
living in holes like i-ats. These animals construct, over the open-
ing of their little dens, a sort of miniature dome, composed of grass,
artistically twisted, and designed as a shelter from wind and rain.
These little heaps of dry grass are of the form and size of mole- hills.
The place where we had now set up our tent abounded with these
grey squirrels. Thirst made us cruel, and we proceeded to level the
house-domes of these poor little animals, which retreated into their
holes below as we approached them. By means of this vandalism
we managed to collect a sackful of efficient fuel, and so warmed the
water of the well, which was our only aliment during the day.

Our provisions had materially diminished, notwithstanding the
economy to which the want of fire on this and other occasions
had reduced us. There remained very little meal or millet in our
store bags, when we learned, from a Tartar whom we met on the
way, that we were at no great distance from a trading station called
Chaborté (Slough.) It lay, indeed, somewhat out of the route we
were pm'suing ; but there was no other place at which we could
supply ourselves with provisions, until we came to Blue-Town,
f.om which we were distant a hundred leagues. We turned there-
iure ubiiqufiy to the left, and soon reached Chaborté.

RUSSIAN CONVENT AT PEKING.

CHAPTER III.

Festival of the Loaves of the Moon — Entertainment in a Mongoltent — Toolholos,
or Rhapsodists of Tartary — Invocation to Timour — Tartar Education — Indus-
try of the Women. — Mongols in quest of missing animals — Remains of an
abandoned City — Road from Peking to Kiaklhu — Commerce between China
and Russia — Russian Convent at Peking — A Tartar solicits us to cure his
Mother from a dangerous Illness — Tartar Physicians — The intermittent Fever
Devil — Various forais of Sepulture in use among the Mongols — Lamasery of
the Five Towers — Obsequies of the Tartar Kings — Origin of the kingdom of
Efe — Gymnastic Exercises of the Tartars — Encounter with three Wolves —
Mongol Carts.

We arrived at Chaborté on the fifteenth day of the eighth moon,
the anniversary of great rejoicings among the Chinese. This
festival, known as the Yué-Pwg (Loaves of the Moon), dates from
the remotest antiquity. Its original purpose was to honour the moon
with superstitious rites. On this solemn day, all labom* is sus-
pended ; the workmen receive from their employers a present of
money; every person puts on his best clothes; and there is men-y-
making in every family. Relations and friends interchange cakes
of various sizes, on which is stamped the image of the moon; that
is to say, a hare crouching amid a small group of trees.

Since the fourteenth century, this festival has borne a political

62 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

character, little ■understood, apparently, by the Mongols; hut the
ti-adition of which is carefully preserved by the Chinese. About
the year 1368, the Chinese were desirous of shaking off the yoke of
Tartar dynasty, founded by Tcheng-Kis-Khan, and which had then
swayed the empire for nearly a hundred years. A vast conspiracy
was formed throughout all the provinces, which was simultaneously
to develop itself, on the 15th day of the eighth moon, by the massacre
of the Mongol soldiers, who were billeted upon ea,ch Chinese family,
for the double purpose of maintaining themselves and their con-
quest. The signal was given by a letter concealed in the cakes
which, as we have stated, are on that day, mutually interchanged
throughout the country. The massacre was effected, and the
Tartar army dispersed in the houses of the Chinese, utterly anni-
hilated. This catastrophe put an end to the Mongol domination;
and ever since, the Chinese, in celebrating the festival of Yue-Ping,
have been less intent upon the superstitious worship of the moon,
than upon the tragic event to which they owed the recovery of their
national independence.

The Mongols seem to have entirely lost all memory of the san-
guinaiy revolution; for every year they take their full part in the
festival of the Loaves of the Moon, and thus celebrate, without ap-
parently knowing it, the triumph which their enemies heretofore
gained over their ancestors.

At a gun-shot from the place where we were encamped, we
perceived several Mongol tents, the size and character of which in-
dicated easiness of circumstances in the proprietors. This indication
was confirmed by the large herds of cattle, sheep, and horses, which
were pasturing around. While we were reciting the Breviaiy in our
tent, Samdadchiemba went to pay a visit to these Mongols. Soon
afterwards, we saw apj^roaching an old man with a long white beard,
and whose features bespoke him a personage of distinction. He was
accompanied by a young Lama, and by a little boy who held his hand.
" Sirs Lamas," said the old man, "all men are brothers; but they
who dwell in tents are united one with another as flesh with bone.
Sirs Lamas, will you come and seat yourselves, for a while, in my poor
abode ? The fifteenth of this moon is a solemn epo(;h ; you are
strangers and travellers, and thei-efore cannot this evening occupy
your places at the hearth of your own noble family. Come and
repose for a few days with us ; your presence will bring us peace
and happiness." We told the good old man that we could not
wholly accept his offer, but that, in the evening, after prayers, we
would come and take tea with him, and converse for a while about the
Mongol nation. The venerable Tartar hereupon took his leave;
but he had not been gone long, before the young Lama who had

THIBET, AND CHINA. 63

accompanied him returned, and told us that his jieople were awaiting
om* presence. We felt that we could not refuse at once to comply
with an invitation so full of frank cordiality, and accordingly,
having directed our Dchiahour to take good care of the tent, we
followed the young Lama who had come in quest of us.

Upon entering the Mongol tent, we were struck and astonished
at finding a cleanliness one is little accustomed to see in ïartary.
There was not the ordinary coai'se fire-place in the centre, and the eye
was not offended with the rude dirty kitchen utensils which generally
encumber Tartar habitations. It was obvious, besides, that every
thing had been prepared for a festival. We seated ourselves upon
a lai-ge red carpet; and there was almost immediately brought
to us, from the adjacent tent, which served as a kitchen, some
tea with milk, some small loaves fried in butter; cheese, raisins,
and jujubs.

After having been introduced to the numerous Mongols by
whom we found ourselves surrounded, the conversation insensibly
tui-ned upon the festival of the Loaves of the Moon. " In our
Western Land," said we, " this festival is unknown ; men there
adore only Jehovah, the Creator of the heavens, and of the earth,
of the sun, of the moon, and of all that exists." — *' Oh, what a holy
doctrine !" exclaimed the old man, raising his clasped hands to his
forehead ; " the Tartars themselves, for that matter, do not worship
the moon; but seeing that the Chinese celebrate this festival,
they follow the custom without very well knowing why." — " You
say tiidy ; you do not, indeed, know why you celebrate this festival.
That is what we heard in the land of the Kitat (Chinese). But do
you know why the Kitat celebrate it?" and thereupon we related
to these Mongols what we knew of the tenible massacre of their
ancestors. Upon the completion of our narrative, we saw the faces
of all our audience full of astonishment. The young men whis-
pered to one another ; the old man preserved a moui'nful silence ;
his head bent down, and big tears flowing from his eyes. " Brother
rich in years," said we, " this story does not seem to surprise you
as it does yom* young men, but it fills yom' heart with emotion." —
" Holy personages," replied the elder, raising his head, and wiping
away the tears with the back of his hand, " the terrible event which
occasions such consternation in the minds of my young men was
not unknown to me, but I would I had never heard of it, and I
always struggle against its recollection, for it bitngs the hot blood
into the forehead of every Tartar, whose heart is not sold to the
Kitat. A day known to our gi'eat Lamas will come, when the blood
of om* fathers, so shamefully assassinated, will at length be avenged.
When the holy man who is to lead us to vengeance shall appeal-,

64 TRAVELS IN TARTART,

every one of us will rise and follow in his train; then we shall
march, in the face of day, and require from the Kitat an account of
the Tartar blood which they shed in the silence and dark secrecy of
their houses. The Mongols celebrate every year this festival, most
of them seeing in it merely an indifferent ceremony; but the
Loaves of the Moon-day ever recals, in the hearts of a few amongst
us, the memory of the treachery to which our fathers fell victims,
and the hope of just vengeance."

After a brief silence, the old man went on : " Holy personages,
whatever may be the associations of tliis day, in other respects it is
truly a festival for us, since you have deigned to enter our poor
habitation. Let us not further occupy our breasts with sad
thoughts. Child," said he to a young man seated on the threshold
of the tent, " if the mutton is boiled enough, clear away these
things." This command having been executed, the eldest son of
the family entered, bearing in both hands a small oblong table, on
which was a boiled sheep, cut into four quarters, heaped one on the
other. The family being assembled round the table, the chief drew
a knife from his girdle, severed the sheep's tail, and divided it into
two equal pieces, which he placed before us.

With the Tartars, the tail is considered the most delicious por-
tion of their sheep, and accordingly the most honourable. These
tails of the Tartarian sheep are of immense size and weight, the
fat upon them alone weighing from six to eight pounds.

The fat and juicy tail having thus been offered a homage to
the two stranger guests, the rest of the company, knife in hand,
attacked the four quarters of the animal, and had speedily, each
man, a huge piece before him. Plate or fork there was none, the
knees supplied the absence of the one, the hands of the other, the
flowing grease being wiped off, from time to time, upon the front
of the jacket. Our own embarrassment was extreme. That gi-eat
white mass of fat had been given to us with the best intentions,
but, not quite clear of European prejudices, we could not make up
our stomachs to venture, without bread or salt, upon the lumps of
tallow that quivered in our hands. We briefly consulted, in our
native tongue, as to what on earth was to be done under these dis-
tressing circumstances. Furtively, to replace the horrible masses
upon the table would be imprudent ; openly to express to our A m-
phytriou our repugnance to this par excellence Tartarian delicacy,
was impossible, as wholly opposed to Tartar etiquette. We devised
this plan : we cut the villanous tail into numerous pieces, and in-
sisted, in that day of general rejoicing, upon the company's partaking
with us of this precious dish. There was infinite reluctance to
deprive us of the treat ; but we persisted, and by degi-ees got entirely

THIBET, AND CHINA. 65

clear of the abominable mess, ourselves rejoicing, instead, in a cut
from the leg, the savour of which was more agreeable to oiu- eai-ly
training. The Homeric repast completed, a heap of polished bones
alone remaining to recal it, a boy, taking from the goat's-hom on
which it hung a rude three-stringed violin, presented it to the chief,
who, in his turn, handed it to a young man of modest mien, whose
eyes lighted up as he received the instrument. " Noble and holy
travellers," said the chief, " I have invited a Toolholos to embellish
this entertainment with some recitations." The minstrel was
already preluding with his fingers upon the strings of his instru-
ment. Presently he began to sing, in a strong, emphatic voice, at
times interweaving with his verses recitations full of fire and anima-
tion. It was interesting to see all those Tartar faces bent towards
the minstrel, and accompanying the meaning of his words with the
movements of their features. The Toolholos selected, for his sub-
jects, national traditions, which warmly excited the feelings of his
audience. As to ourselves, very slightly acquainted with the history
of Tartary, we took small interest in all those illustrious unknown,
whom the Mongol rhapsodist marshalled over the scene.

When he had sung for some time, the old man presented to him
a large cup of milk-wine. 'Jlie minstrel placed his instrument
upon his knees, and with evident relish proceeded to moisten his
thioat, parched with the infinitude of marvels he had been relating.
While, having finished his draught, he was licking the brim of his
cup: " Toolholo--!," said we, " the songs you have sung were all ex-
cellent. But you have as yet said nothing about the Immortal
Tamerlane: the 'Invocation toTimom','we have heard, is a famous
song, dear to the Mongols." " Yes, yes," exclaimed several voices
at once, " sing us the ' Invocation to Timour.' " There was a mo-
ment's silence, and then the Toolholos, having refreshed his memory,
sang, in a vigorous and warlike tone, the following strophes : —

" When the divine Timour dwelt within our tents, the Mongol
nation was redoubtable and warlike ; its least movements made the
earth bend ; its mere look froze \n ith fear the ten thousand peoples
upon whom the sun shines.

" divine Timour, will thy great soul soon revive ?
Eeturn ! return ! we await thee, Timour !
" We live in our vast plains, tranquil and peaceful as sheep; yet
our hearts are fervent and full of life. The memory of the glorious
age of Timour is ever present to our minds. Where is the chief who
is to place himself at our head, and render us once more great
warriors ?

' ' divine Timour, will thy great soul soon revive ?
Eeturn ! return ! we await thee, Timour !

66 TRAVELS IN ÏARTARY,

" The young Mongol has arms wherewith to quell the wild horse,
eyes wherewith he sees afar off in the desert the traces of the lost
camel. Alas ! his arms can no longer bend the bow of his ancestors ;
his eye cannot see the wiles of the enemy.

" divine Timour, will thy great soul soon revive ?
Eeturn ! return ! we await thee, Timour !
" We have burned the sweet smelling wood at the feet of the divine
Timour, our foreheads bent to the earth ; we have offered to him the
green leaf of tea and the milk of our herds. We are ready; the
Mongols are on foot, Timour ! And do thou, Lama, send down
good fortune upon our arrows and our lances.

" divine Timour, will thy great soul soon revive?
Return ! return I we await thee, Timour !"

When the Tartar Troubadour had completed this national song,
he rose, made a low bow to the company, and, having suspended
his instrument upon a wooden pin, took his leave. " Our neigh-
hours," said the old man, " are also keeping the festival, and expect
the Toolholos : but, since you seem to listen with interest to Tartar
songs, we will offer some other melodies to your notice. We have
in our own family a brother who has in his memory a great number
of airs, cherished by the Mongols ; but he cannot play ; he is not a
Toolholos. Come, brother Nymbo, sing; you have not got Lamas
of the West to listen to you every day."

A Mongol, whom, seated as he was in a corner, we had not before
noticed, at once rose, and took the place of the departed Toolholos.
The appearance of this personage was truly remarkable; his neck
was completely buried in his enormous shoulders ; his great dull
staring eyes contrasted strangely with his dark face, half-calcined
as it were by the sun ; his hair, or rather a coarse uncombed mane,
straggling down his back, completed the savageness of his aspect.
He began to sing; but his singing was a mere counterfeit, an ab-
surd parody. His grand qual ity was extreme long-windedness, which
enabled him to execute roulades, complicated and continuous enough
to throw any rational audience into fits. We soon became desperately
tired of his noise, and watched with impatience a moment's cessa-
tion, that might give us an opportunity of retiring. But this was
no easy matter ; the villain divined our thoughts, and was resolved
to spite us. No sooner had he finished one air than he dovetailed
another into it, and so started afresh. In this way he went on,
until it was really quite late in the night. At length he paused
for a moment to drink a cup of tea ; he threw the beverage down his
throat, and was just clearing his throat to commence anew, when
we started up, offered to the head of the family a pinch of snuff,
and, having saluted the rest of the company, withdrew.

THIBET, AND CHINA. 67

You often meet in Tartaiy these Toolholos, or wandering singers,
who go about from tent to tent, celebratiug in their melodies
national events and personages. They are generally very poor ; a
violin and a flute, suspended from the girdle, are their only pro-
perty ; but they are always received by the Mongol families with
kindness and honour; they often remain in one tent for several
days, and on their departure are supplied with cheese, wine, tea,
and so on, to support them on their way. These poet-singers, who
remind us of the minstrels and rhapsodists of Greece, are also very
numerous in China ; but they are, probably, no where so nmnerous
or so popular as in Thibet.

The day after the festival, the sun had scarcely risen, when a
little boy presented himself at the entrance of our tent, carrying in
one hand a wooden vessel fiiU of milk, and in the other hand a rude
rush basket, in which were some new cheese and some butter. He
was followed soon after by an old Lama, attended by a Tartar who
had on his shoulder a large bag of fuel. We invited them all to be
seated. " Brothers of the West," said the Lama, " accept these
tiifling presents from ray master." We bowed in token of thanks,
and Samdadchiemba hastened to prepare some tea, which we
pressed the Lama to stay and partake of. " I will come and
see you this evening," said he; "but I cannot remain at present;
for I have not set my pupil the prayer he has to learn this morning."
The pupil in question was the little boy who had brought the milk.
The old man then took his pupil by the hand, and they returned
together to their tent.

The old Lama was the preceptor of the family, and his fimction
consisted in dnecting the little boy in the study of the Thibetian
prayers. The education of the Tartars is very limited. They who
shave the head, the Lamas, are, as a general rule, the only
persons who learn to read and pray. There is no such thing
tliroughout the country as a public school. With the exception of
a few rich Mongols, who have their children taught at home, all
the young Lamas are obliged to resort to the Lamaseries, wherein
is concentrated all that exists in Tartary, of ails, or sciences, or
intellectual industiy. The Lama is not merely a priest ; he is the
painter, poet, sculptor, architect, physician; the head, heart, and
oracle of the laity. The training of the young Mongols, who do not
resort to the Lamaseries, is limited, with the men, to perfecting the
use of the bow and arrow and matchlock, and to then obtaining a
thorough mastery of equesti'ianism. When a mere infant the Mon-
gol is weaned, and as soon as he is strong enough he is stuck upon
a horse's back behind a man, the animal is put to a gallop, and the
juvenile rider, in order not to fall off, has to cling with both hands

bo TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

to his teacher's jacket. The Tartars thus become accustomed, from
a very early age, to the movements of the horse, and by degrees and
the force of habit, they identify themselves, as it were, with the
animal.

There is, perhaps, no spectacle more exciting than that of
Mongol riders in chase of a wild horse. They aie armed with a
long, heavy pole, at the end of which is a running knot. They
gallop, they fly after the horse they are pursuing down rugged
ravines, and up precipitous hills, in and out, twisting and twining
in their rapid course, until they come up with their game. They
then take the bridle of their own horses in their teeth, seize with
both hands their heavy pole, and bending forward throw, by a
powerful effort, the running knot round the wild horse's neck. In
this exercise the greatest vigour must be combined with the gi-eat-
est dexterity, in order to enable them to stop short the powerful
untamed animals with which they have to deal. It sometimes
happens that pole and cord are broken; but as to a horseman
being thrown, it is an occurrence we never saw or heard of.

The Mongol is so accustomed to horseback that he is altogether
like a fish out of .water when he sets foot on the ground. His step
is heavy and awkward ; and his bowed legs, his chest bent forward,
his constant looking around him, all indicate a person who spends
the greater portion of his time on the back of a horse or a camel.

When night overtakes the travelling Tartar, it often happens
that he will not even take the trouble to alight for the purpose of
repose. Ask people whom you meet in the desert where they slept
last night, and you will as frequently as not have for answer, in a
melancholy tone, " Temen dero" (on the camel). It is a singular
spectacle to see caravans halting at noon, when they come to a
rich pasturage. The camels disperse in all directions, browsing
upon the high grass of the prairie, while the Tartars, astride
between the two humps of the animal, sleep as profoundly as
though they were sheltered in a good bed.

This incessant activity, this constant travelling, contributes to
render the Tartars very vigorous, and capable of supporting the
most terrible cold, without appearing to be in the least affected by it.
In the deserts of Tartary, and especially in the country of the Khalk-
has, the cold is so intense, that for a considerable portion of the
winter the thermometer will not act, on account of the congelation
of the mercuiy. The whole district is often covered with snow ;
and if at these times the south-west wind blows, the plain wears
the aspect of a raging sea. The wind raises the snow in immense
waves, and impels the gigantic avalanches vehemently before it.
Then the Tartars hurry courageously to the aid of their herds and

thibp:t, and china. C9

flocks, and you see them dashing in all directions, exciting the
animals by theii- cries, and driving them to the shelter of some rock
or mountain. Sometimes these intrepid shepherds stop short amid
the tempest, and stand erect for a time, as if defying the cold and
the fuiy of the elements.

The training of the Tartar women is not more refined than that
of the men. They are not, indeed, taught the use of the bow and
the matchlock ; but in equitation they are as expert and as fearless
as the men. Yet it is only on occasions that they mount on horse-
back ; such, for example, as travelling, or when there is no man at
home to go in search of a stray animal. As a general rule, they
have nothing to do with the care of the herds and flocks.

Their chief occupation is to prepare the family meals, and to
make the family clothes. They are perfect mistresses of the needle ;
it is they who fabricate the hats, boots, coats, and other por-
tions of the Mongol attire. Tlie leather boots, for example, which
they make are not indeed very elegant in form, but, on the other
hand, their solidity is astonishing.

It was quite unintelligible to us how, with implements so nide
and coarse as theks, they could manufacture articles almost inde-
stmctible in their quality. It is true they take their time about
them, and get on very slowly with their work. The Tartar women
excel in embroidery, which, for taste and variety of pattern and for
excellence of manipulation, excited our astonishment. We think
we may venture to say, that no where in France would you meet
with embroidery more beautiful and more perfect in fabric than
that we have seen in Tartaiy.

The Tartars do not use the needle in the same way as the
Chinese. In China they impel the needle perpendicularly down
and up ; whereas the Tartars impel it perpendicularly up and down.
In France the manner is difierent from both ; if we recollect right,
the French women impel the needle horizontally from right to left.
We will not attempt to pronounce as to the respective merit of the
three methods; we will leave the point to the decision of the
respectable fraternity of tailors.

On the 17th of the moon, we proceeded xerj early in the morn-
ing to the Chinese station of Chaborté, for the purpose of laying in
a store of meal. Chaborté, as its Mongol name intimates, is built
upon a slough. The houses are all made of mud, and surrounded
each by an enclosure of high walls. The streets are irregular,
tortuous, and naiTow ; the aspect of the whole town is sombre and
sinister, and the Chinese who inhabit it have, if possible, a more
knavish look than their countrymen anywhere else. The trade of
the town comprehends aU the articles in ordinary use with the

70 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

Mongols — oatmeal and millet, cotton manufactures, and brick tea,
which the Tartars receive in exchange for the products of the desert,
salt, mushrooms, and furs. Upon our return, we hastened to
prepare for our departure. While we were packing up our bag-
gage in the tent, Samdadchiemba went in search of the animals
which had been put to pasture in the vicinity. A moment after-
wards he returned with the three camels. " There are the camels,"
said we, with gloomy anticipation, " but where are the horse and
the mule; they were both at hand just now, for we tied their legs
to prevent their straying.** " They are stolen, in all probabiUty. It
never does to encamp too near the Chinese, whom every body knows
to be arrant horse stealers." These words came upon us like a clap
of thunder. However, it was not a moment for sterile lamentation ;
it was necessary to go in search of the thieves. We each mounted
a camel, and made a circuit in search of the animals, leaving our
tent under the charge of Arsalan. Our search being futile, we
resolved to proceed to the Mongol encampment, and inform them
that the animals had been lost near their habitation.

By a law among the Tartars, when animals are lost from a
caravan, the persons occupying the nearest encampment are bound
either to find them or to replace them. It seems, no doubt, very
strange to European views, that because, without their consent or
even knowledge, without being in the smallest degree known to them,
you have chosen to pitch your tent near those of a Mongol i^arty,
you and your animals, and your baggage, are to be under their
res]3onsibility ; but so it is. If a thing disa])pears, the law sup-
poses that your next neighbour is the thief, or at all events an ac-
complice. This it is which has contributed to render the Mongols
so skilful in tracking animals. A mere glance at the slight traces
left by an animal upon the grass, suffices to inform the Mongol
pursuer how long since it passed, and whether or not it bore a rider ;
and the track once found, they follow it throughout all its mean-
derings, however complicated.

We had no sooner explained our loss to the Mongol chief, than
he said to us cheerfully : " Sirs Lamas, do not permit sorrow to in-
vade your hearts. Your animals cannot be lost; in these plains
there are neither robbers nor associates of robbers. I will send in
quest of your horses. If we do not find them, you may select what
others you please in their place, from our herd. We would have
you leave this place as happy as you came to it." While he was
speaking eight of his people mounted on horseback, and dashed off
in as many directions, upon the quest, each man trailing after him
his lasso, attached to the long, flexible pole we have described.
After a while they all collected in one body, and galloped away, as

THIBET, AND CHINA. 71

hard as they coiild, towards the town. " 'J'hey are ou the track now,
holy sh-s," said the chief, "who was watching theii- movements by
our sides, aud you will have youi* horses back very soon. Mean-
while come within my tent, and drink some tea."

In about two hours, a boy appeared at the enti'ance of the tent,
and announced the return of the horsemen. We hastened outside,
and in the track which we had pursued saw something amid a cloud
of dust which seemed horsemen galloping hke the wind. We
j)resently discovered the eight Tartars, dashing along, like so many
mad centaurs, om' stray animals, each held by a lasso, in the midst
of them. On their arrival, they alighted, and with an air of satis-
faction said : " We told you nothing was ever lost in our country."
We thanked the generous Mongols for the great service they had
rendered us; and, bidding adieu to them, saddled our horses, and
dejDarted on our way to the Blue City.

On the third day we came, in the solitude, upon an imposing
and majestic monument of antiquity, — a large city utterly abandoned.
Its tmTeted ramparts, its watch towers, its four great gates, facing
the four cardinal points, were all there perfect, in preservation, ex-
cept that, besides being three-fourths buried in the soil, they were
covered with a thick coating of turf. Arrived opposite the southern
gate, we directed Samdadcliiemba to proceed quietly with the
animals, while we paid a visit to the Old Town, as the Tartars
designate it. Oui- impression, as we entered the vast enclosure, was
one of mingled awe and sadness. There were no ruins of any sort
to be seen, but only the outline of a large and fine town, becoming
absorbed below by gradual accumulations of wind- borne soil, and
above by a winding-sheet of turf. The arrangement of the streets
and the position of the principal edifices, were indicated by the
inequalities of gi'ound. The only living things we found here were
a young Mongol sheplierd, silently smoking his pipe, and the flock
of goats he tended. We questioned the former as to when the city
was built, by whom, when abandoned, and why? We might as
weU have interrogated his goats ; he knew no more than that the
place was called the Old Town.

Such remains of ancient cities are of no unfrequent occurrence
in the deserts of Mongolia : but eveiything connected with their
origin and histoiy is buried in darkness. Oh, with what sadness does
such a spectacle fill the soul ! The ruins of Greece, the superb
remains of Egypt, — all these, it is true, tell of death; all belong to
the past ; yet when you gaze upon them, you know what they are ;
you can retrace, in memory, the revolutions which have occa-
sioned the ruins and the decay of the country around them. De-
scend into the tomb, wherein was buried alive the city of Hercu-

T2 TRAVELS IN TAETARY,

laiieum, — you find there, it is true, a gigantic skeleton, but you have
within you historical associations wherewith to galvanize it. But
of these old abandoned cities of Tartary. not a tradition remains ;
they are tombs without an epitaph, amid solitude and silence, un-
inteiTupted except when the wandering Tartars halt, for a while,
within the mined enclosures, because there the pastures are richer
and more abundant.

Although, however, nothing positive can be stated respecting these
remains, the probabilities are, that they date no earlier back than the
13th century, the period when the Mongols rendered themselves
masters of the Chinese empire, of which they retained possession
for more than 100 years. During their domination, say the Chinese
annals, they erected in Northern Tartary many large and powerful
cities. Towards the middle of the 14th century the Mongol dynasty
was expelled from China ; tlie Emperor Young-Lo, who desired to ex-
terminate the Tartars, invaded their country, and burned their towns,
making no fewer than three expeditions against them into the desert,
200 leagues north of the Great Wall.

After leaving behind us the Old Town, we came to a broad road
crossing N.S. that along which we were travelling E.W. This road,
the ordinary route of the Kussian embassies to Peking, is called by
the Tartars Koutcheon-Dcham (Road of the Emperor's Daughter), be-
cause it was constructed for the passage of a princess, whom one of the
Celestial Emperors bestowed upon a King of the Khalkhas. After
traversing the Tchalmr and Western 6'oz/7«io^, it enters tlie country of
the Khalkhas by the kingdom of Mowguevan ; thence crossing N.S.
the great desert of Gobi, it traverses the river Toula, near the Great
Couren, and terminates with the Eussian factories at Kiaktha.

This town, under a treaty of peace in 1688 between the 'Km-
■peroY Kha7ig-Hi, and the White Khan of the Oros, i.e. the Czar of
Eussia, was established as the entrepôt of the trade between the
two countries. Its northern portion is occupied by the Russian
factories, its southern by the Tartaro-Chinese. The intermediate
space is a neutral ground, devoted to the purposes of commerce.
The Russians are not permitted to enter the Chinese quarter, nor
the Chinese the Russian. The commerce of the town is consider-
able, and apparently very beneficial to both parties. The Russians
bring linen goods, cloths, velvets, soaps, and hardware ; the Chinese
tea in bricks, of which the Russians use large quantities ; and
these Chinese tea-bricks being taken in payment of the Russian
goods at an easy rate, linen goods are sold in China at a lower rate
than even in Europe itself. It is owing to their ignorance of this
commerce of Russia with China that speculators at Canton so fre-
quently find no market for their commodities.

THIBET, AND CHINA. 73

Under another treaty of peace between the two powers, signed
I4th of June, 1728, by Count Vladislavitch, Ambassador Extraor-
dinaiy of Russia, on the one part, and by the Minister of the Court
of Peking on the other, the Russian government maintains, in the
capital of the celestial empire, a monastery, to which is attached a
school, wherein a certain number of young Russians qualify them-
selves as Cliiuese and Tartar-Mantchou interpreters. Every ten
years, the pupils, having completed their studies, return with their
spiritual pastors of the monasteiy to St. Petersburg, and are re-
lieved by a new settlement. The little caravan is commanded by
a Russian otficer, who has it in charge to conduct the new disciples
to Peking, and bring back the students and the members who have
completed their period. From Kiaktha to Peking the Russians
travel at the expense of the Chinese government, and are escorted
from station to station by Tartar troops.

M. Timkouski, who in 1820 had charge of the Russian cara-
van to Peking, tells us, in his account of the journey, that he
coiild never make out why the Chinese guides led him by a different
route from that which the preceding ambassadors had pm-sued.
The Tartars explained the matter to us. They said it was a political
precaution of the Chinese government, who conceived that, being
taken by all sorts of roundabout paths and no-paths, the Russians
might be kept fi-om a knowledge of the regular route ; — an immensely
imbecile precaution, since the Autocrat of all the Russians would
not have the slightest diiOBculty in leading his armies to Peking,
should he ever take a fancy to go and beard the Son of Heaven in
his celestial seat.

This road to Kiaktha, which we thus came upon unexpectedly
amid the deserts of Tartaiy, created a deep emotion in our hearts :
" Here," said we to each other, " here is a road which leads to
Europe ! " Our native land presented itself before our imagination,
and we spontaneously entered upon the road, which connected
us with our beloved France. The conversation that rose to our
lips from om- hearts was so pleasing, that we insensibly advanced.
The sight of some Mongol tents, on an adjacent eminence, recalled
us to a sense of our position, and at the same moment a loud cry
came from a Tartar whom we saw gesticulating in front of the tents.
Not undei'standing the cry to be addressed to us, we turned, and
were proceeding on om route, when the Tartar, jumping on his
horse, galloped after us ; upon reaching us, he alighted and knelt
before us : " Holy sirs," said he, raising his hands before Heaven,
" have pity upon me, and save my mother from death. I know
your power is infinite : come and preserve my mother by your
prayers." The parable of the good Samaritan came before us, and

7-4 TRAVELS IN TARTARr,

we felt that charity forbad us to pass on without doing all we
could in the matter. We therefore turned once more, in order to
encamp near the Tartars.

"While Samdadchiemba arranged our tent, we went, without loss
of time, to tend the sick woman, whom we found in a very deplor-
able state. " Inhabitants of the desert," said we to her friends,
" we know not the use of simples, we are unacquainted with
the secrets of life, but we will pray to Jehovah for this sick person.
You have not heard of this Almighty God — your Lamas know him
not ; but, be assured, Jehovah is the master of life and of death."
Circumstances did not permit us to dwell on the theme to these
poor people, who, absorbed in giief and anxiety, could pay little
attention to our words. We returaed to our tent to pray, the Tartar
accompanying us. When he saw our Breviary : " Are these," asked
he, *■ the all-powerful prayers to Jehovah, of which you spoke?"
" Yes," said we ; " these are the only true prayers ; the only prayers
that can save." Thereupon he prostrated himself successively before
each of us, touching the ground with his forehead ; then he took
the Breviary, and raised it to his head in token of respect. During
our recitation of the prayers for the sick, the Tartar remained
seated at the entrance of the tent, preserving a profound and reli-
gious silence. When we had finished, " Holy men," said he, again
prostrating himself, " how can I make acknowledgments for your
gi-eat benefits? I am poor; I can offer you neither horse nor
sheep." " Mongol brother," we replied, " the priests of Jehovah
may not oSer up prayers for the sake of enriching themselves;
since thou art not rich, accept from us this trifling gift;" and we
presented to him a fragment of a tea-brick. The Tartar was pro-
foundly moved with this proceeding ; he could not say a word, his
only answer to us was tears of gratitude.

We heard next morning with pleasure that the Tartar woman
was much better. We would fain have remained a few days in the
place, in order to cultivate the germ of the true faith thus planted
in the bosom of this family ; but we were compelled to proceed.
Some of the Tartars escorted us a short distance on our way.

Medicine in Tartary, as we have already observed, is exclusively
piactised by the Lamas. When illness attacks any one, his friends
run to the nearest monastery for a Lama, whose first proceeding,
upon visiting the patient, is to run his fingers over the pulse of
both wrists simultaneously, as the fingers of a musician run over
the strings of an instrument. The Chinese physicians feel both
pulses also, but in succession. After due deliberation, the Lama
pronounces his opinion as to the particular nature of the malady.
According to the religious belief of the Tartars, all illness is owing

THIBET, AND CHINA. 75

to the visitation of a Tchutgour or demon ; "but the expulsion of
the demon is first a matter of medicine. The Lama physician next
proceeds, as Lama apothecary, to give the specific befitting the
case; the Tartar pharmacopoeia rejecting all mineral chemistry,
the Lama remedies consist entirely of vegetables pulverised, and
either infused in water or made up into pills. If the Lama doctor
happens not to have any medicine with him, he is by no means
disconcerted; he writes the names of the remedies upon little
scraps of paper, moistens the papers with his saliva, and rolls them
up into pills, which the patient tosses down with the same perfect
confidence as though they were genuine medicaments. To swallow
the name of a remedy, or the remedy itself, say the Tartars, comes
to precisely the same thing.

The medical assault of the usurping demon being applied, the
Lama next proceeds to spiritual artillery, in the form of prayers,
adapted to the quality of the demon who has to be dislodged. If
the patient is poor, the Tchutgour visiting him can evidently be
only an inferior Tchutgour, requiring merely a brief, off-hand
prayer, sometimes merely an inteijectional exorcism. If the patient
is very poor, the Lama troubles himself with neither prayer nor
pill, but goes away, recommending the friends to wait with patience
until the sick person gets better or dies, according to the decree of
Hormoustha. But where the patient is rich, the possessor of large
flocks, the proceedings are altogether different. First, it is obvious
that a devil who presumes to visit so eminent a personage must be
a potent devil, one of the chiefs of the lower world ; and it would
not be decent for a great Tchutgour to travel like a mere sprite;
the family, accordingly, are directed to prepare for him a handsome
suit of clothes, a pair of rich boots, a fine horse, ready saddled and
bridled, otherwise the devil will never think of going, physic or
exorcise him how you may. It is even possible, indeed, that one
horse will not suffice, for the demon, in very rich cases, may turn
out, upon inquiry, to be so high and mighty a prince, that he has
with him a number of courtiers and attendants, all of whom have
to be provided with horses.

Everything being arranged, the ceremony commences. The
Lama and numerous co-physicians called in from his own and
other adjacent monasteries, offer up prayers in the rich man's tents
for a week or a fortnight, until they perceive that the devil is gone —
that is to say, until they have exhausted all the disposable tea and
sheep. If the patient recovers, it is a clear proof that the prayers
have been efficaciously recited ; if he dies, it is a still greater proof
of the efficaciousness of the prayers, for not only is the devil gone,
but the patient has transmigrated to a state far better than that he
has quitted.

76 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,.

The prayers recited by the Lamas for the reeoveiy of the skk
are sometimes accompanied with very dismal and alarming rites.
The aunt of Tokoura, ehief of an encampment in the Valley of
Dark Waters, visited by M. Hue, was seized one evening with an
intermittent fever. " I would invite the attendance of the doctor
Lama," said Tokoura, " but if he finds that there is a very big
Tchutgour present, the expenses will ruin me." He waited for
some days; but as his aunt grew worse and worse, he at last sent
for a Lama; his anticipations were confirmed. The Lama pra-
uounced that a demon of considerable rank was present, and that
no time must be lost in expelling him. Eight other Lamas were
forthwith called in, who at once set about the construction, in dried
herbs, of a great puppet, which they entitled the Demon of Inter-
miUent Fevers, and which, when completed, they placed on its legs
by means of a stick, in the patient's tent.

The ceremony began at eleven o'clock at night; the Lamas
ranged themselves in a semicircle round the upper portion of the
tent, with cymbals, sea-shells, bells, tambourines, and other instru-
ments of the noisy Tartar music. The remainder af the circle was
completed by the members of the family, squatting on the ground
close to one another, the patient kneeling, or rather crouched on
her heels, opposite the Demon of Intermittent Fevers. The Lama
doctor-in-chief had before him a large copper basin filled with
millet, and some little images made of paste. The dung-fuel
threw, amid much smoke, a fantastic and quivering light over the
strange scene.

Upon a given signal, the clerical orchestra executed an overture
harsh enough to frighten Satan himself, the lay congregation
beating time with their hands to the charivari of clanging instru-
ments and ear-splitting voices. The diabolical concert over, the
Grand Lama opened the Book of Exorcisms, which he rested on
his knees. As he chanted one of the forms, he took from the
basin, from time to time, a handful of millet, which he threw east,
west, north, and south, according to the Rubric. The tones of his
voice, as he prayed, were sometimes mournful and suppressed,
sometimes vehemently loud and energetic. All of a sudden, he
would quit the regular cadence of prayer, and have an outburst of
apparently indomitable rage, abusing the herb puppet with fierce
invectives and fmious gestures. The exorcism terminated, he gave
a signal by stretching out his arms, right and left, and the other
Lamas struck up a tremendously noisy chorus, in hurried, dashing
tones ; all the instruments were set to work, and meantime the lay
congi'egation, having started up with one accord, ran out of the
tent, one after the other, and tearing round it like mad people, beat

THIBET, AND CHINA. 77

it fit their hardest with -sticks, yelling all the while at the pitch of
their voices in a manner to make ordinary hair stand on end.
Having thiice performed this demoniac round, they re-entered the
tent as precipitately as they had quitted it, and resumed iheii- seats.
Then, all the others covering their faces with their hands, the Grand
Lama rose and set fire to the herb figure. As soon as the flames
rose, he uttered a loud cry, which was repeated with interest by the
rest of the company. The laity immediately rose, seized the burn-
ing figure, caiTied it into the plain, away fi'om the tents, and there,
as it consumed, anathematized it with all sorts of imprecations ;
the Lamas meantime squatted in the tent, tranquilly chanting
their prayers in a grave, solemn tone.

Upon the return of the family from their valorous expedition^
the praying was exchanged for joyous felicitations. By-and-by,
each person provided with a lighted torch, the whole party rushed
simultaneously from the tent, and formed into a procession, the
laymen first, then the patient, supported on either side by a member
of the family, and lastly, the nine Lamas, making night hideous
with their music. In this «tyle the patient was conducted to
another tent, pursuant to the orders of the Lama, who had declared
that she must absent herself from her own habitation for an entire
month.

After this strange treatment, the malady did not return. The
probability is, that the Lamas, having ascertained the precise
moment at which the fever-fit would recur, met it at the exact point
of time by this tremendous counter-excitement, and overcame it.

Though the maiority of the Lamas seek to foster the ignorant
ci-edulity of the Tartars, in order to turn it to their own profit, we
have met some of them who frankly avowed that duplicity and im-
}X)Sture played considerable part in all their ceremonies. The
superior of a Lamasery said to us one day : " When a person is ill,
the recitation of prayers is proper, for Buddha is the master of
life and death ; it is he who rules the transmigration of beings.
To take remedies is also fitting, for the great virtue of medicinal
herbs also comes to us from Buddha. That the Evil One may
possess a rich person is credible, but that, in order to repel the
Evil One, the way is to give him dress, and a horse, and what not,
this is a fiction invented by ignorant and deceiving Lamas, who
desire to accumulate wealth at the expense of their brothers."

The manner of inten-ing the dead among the Tartars is not
uniform. The Lam_as are only calded in to assist at extremely grand
funerals. Towards the Great Wall, where the Mongols are mixed
up with the Chinese, tl>e custom of the latter in this particular, as
in others, has insensibly prevailed. There the corpse is placed.

78 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

after the Chinese fashion, in a coffin, and the coffin in a grave.
In the desert, among the true nomadic tribes, the entire ceremony
consists in conveying the dead to the tops of hills or the bottoms
of ravines, there to be devoured by the birds and beasts of prey.
It is really horrible to travellers through the deserts of Taitary to
see, as they constantly do, human remains, for which the eagles
and the wolves are contending.

The richer Tartars sometimes burn their dead with great so-
lemnity. A large furnace of earth is constructed in a pyramidical
form. Just before it is completed, the body is placed inside, stand-
ing, surrounded with combustibles. The edifice is then completely
covered in, with the exception of a small hole at the bottom to
admit fire, and another at the top, to give egress to the smoke, and
keep up a cuiTent of air. Dming the combustion, the Lamas sur
round the tomb and recite prayers. The corpse being burnt, they
demolish the furnace and remove the bones, which they cai-ry to
the Grand Lama ; he reduces them to a very fine powder, and
having added to them an equal quantity of meal, he kneads the
w^hole with care, and constructs, with his own hands, cakes of
different sizes, which he places one upon the other, in the form of
a pyramid. When the bones have been thus prepared by the Grand
Lama, they are transported with great pomp to a little tower built
beforehand, in a place indicated by the diviner.

They almost always give to the ashes of the Lamas a sepulture
of this description. You meet with a great number of these mo-
numental towers on the summits of the mountains, and in the neigh-
bourhood of the Lamaseries; and you may find them in countries
whence the Mongols have been driven by the Chinese. In other
respects these countries scarcely retain any trace of the Tartars :
the Lamaseries, the pasturages, the shepherds, with their tents and
flocks, all have disappeared, to make room for new people, new
monuments, new customs. A few small towers raised over graves
alone remain there, as if to assert the rights of the ancient
possessors of these lands, and to protest against the invasion of the
Kitat.

The most celebrated seat of Mongol burials is in the province
of Chan-Si, at the famous Lamasery of Five Towers {Ou-Tay).
According to the Tartars, the Lamasery of the Five Towers is the
best place you can be bmied in. The gi'ound in it is so holy, that
those who are so fortunate as to be interred there are certain of a
happy transmigration thence. The marvellous sanctity of this
place is attributed to the presence of Buddha, who for some cen
turies past has taken up his abode there in the interior of a moun-
tain. In 1842 the noble Tokoura, of whom we have already had

THIBET, AND CHINA.

79

occasion to spealv, conveying the bones of his father and mother to
the Five Towers, had the infinite happiness to behold tliere the vener-
able Buddha. " Behind the great monastery," he told us, " there
is a very lofty mountain, which you must climb by creeping on
your bauds and feet. Just towards the summit you come to a
portico cut in the rock ; you lie down on the earth, and look through
a small aperture not larger than the bowl of a pipe. It is some
time before you can distinguish anything, but by degrees your eye
gets used to the place, and you have the happiness of beholding,
at length, in the depths of the mountain, the face of the ancient
Buddha. He is seated cross-legged, doing nothing. There are
around him Lamas of all countries, who are continually paying
homage to him."

Whatever you may think of Tokoui-a's narrative, it is certain
that the Tartars and the Thibetians have given themselves up to
an inconceivable degree of fanaticism, in reference to the Lamasery
of the Five Towers. You frequently meet, in the deserts of
Tartaiy, Mongols, carrying on their shoulders the bones of theh-
parents, to the Five Towers, to purchase, almost at its weight in
gold, a few feet of earth, whereon they may raise a small mausoleum.
Even the Mongols of Torgot perform journeys occupying a whole

80 TRAVELS IN TARTAR^:,

year, and attended with immense difficulty, to visit for this purpose
the province of Chan-Si.

The Tartar kings sometimes make use of a sepulture which is
the height of extravagance and barbarism. The royal corpse is con-
veyed to a vast edifice, constructed of bricks, and adorned with
numerous statues representing men, lions, elephants, tigers, and
various subjects of Buddhic mythology. With the illustrious de-
funct, they biu-y in a large cavern, constructed in the centre of the
building, large sums of gold and silver, royal robes, precious
stones, in short, every thing which he may need in another life.
These monstrous interments sometimes cost the lives of a great
number of slaves. They take children. of both sexes, remarkable for
their beauty, and make them swdlow mercury till they are suffo-
cated ; in this way they preserve, they say, the freshness and
ruddiness of their countenance, so as to make them appear still
alive. These unfortunate victims are placed upright, round the
coipse of their master, continuing, in this fashion, to serve him as
during life. They hold in their hands the pipe, fan, the small
])hial of snuff, and the numerous other nick-nacks of the Tartar
kings.

To protect these buried treasures, they place in the cavern a
kind of bow, capable of discharging a number of arrows, one after
the other. This bow, or rather these several bows joined together,
are all bent, and the arrows ready to fly. They place this infernal
machine in such a manner that, on opening the door of the cavern,
the movement causes the discharge of the first an-ow at the man
who enters; the discharge of the first arrow causes the discharge of
the second, and so on to the last — so that the unlucky person, whom
covetousness or curiosity should induce to open the door, would
fall, pierced with many arrows, in the tomb he sought to profane.
They sell these murderous machines, ready prepared by the bow-
makers. The Chinese sometimes purchase them, to guard their
houses in their absence.

After a march of two days, we entered the district called the
Kingdom of Efe ; it is a portion of the territory of the Eight Ban-
ners, which the Emperor Kien-Loug dismembered in favour of a
prince of the Khalkhas. Sun- Tche, founder of the Mantchou dynasty,
laid down this maxim : " In the south, establish no kings ; in the
north, interrupt no alliances." This policy has ever since been
exactly pursued by the court of Peking. The Emperor Kien-Long,
in order to attach to his dynasty the prince in question, gave him
his daughter in marriage, hoping by this means to fix him at Pe-
king, and thus to weaken the still dreaded power of the Khalkha
sovereigns. He built for him, within the circuit of the Yellow

** TEIBET, AND CHINA. 8^

Town itself, a large aud raagnifieent palace, but the Mongol prince
could not adapt or reconcile himself to the stiff arbitraiy etiquette
of a coiu-t. Amid the pomp and luxmy accumulated for his enter-
tainment, he was incessantly absorbed with the thought of his tents
aud his herds : even the snows and frosts of his country were matters
of regret. The attentions of the cjDurt being altogether inadequate
to the dissipation of his ennui, he began to talk about returning to
his pi-airies in the Khalkhas. On the other hand, his young wife,
accustomed to the refinements of the court of Peking, could not bear
"the idea of spending the r^st of her days in the desert, amongst
milkmaids and shepherds. The Emperor resorted to a compromise
which suificiently met the washes of his son-in-law, without too
violently disconcerting the feelings of his daughter. He dismem-
bered a portion of the Tchakar, and assigned it to the Mongol
prince ; he built for him, amid these solitudes, a small but handsome
city, and presented to him a hundred families of slaves skilled in
the arts and manufactures of China. In this manner, while the
young Mantchou princess was enabled to dwell in a city and to have
a court, the Mongol prince, on his part, was in a position to enjoy
the tranquillity of the Land of Grass, and to resume at will the
pleasures of nomadic life, in whi<;h he had passed his boyhood.

The King of Efe brought with him into his petty dominions a
great number of Mongol Khalkhas, who inhabit, under the tent, the
country bestowed upon their prince. These Tartars fully maintain
the reputation for strength and active vigour which is generally at-
tributed to the men of their nation. They are considered the most
powerful wrestlers in southern Mongolia. From their infancy, they
are trained to gymnastic exercises, and at the public wrestUng
matches, celebrated every year at Peking,, a great niunber of these
men attend to compete for the prizes, and to sustain the reputation
of their country. Yet, though far superior in strength to the Chi-
nese, they are sometimes thrown by the latter, generally more active,
and especially more tricky.

In the great match of 1843, a wrestler of the kingdom of Efe
had overthi'own all competitors, Tartars and Chinese. His body,
of gigantic proportions, w^as fixed upon legs which seemed immov-
able columns ; his hands, like great gi'appling uxdus, seized his an-
tagonists, raised them, and then hurled them to the ground, almost .
without effort. No person had been at all able to stand befere his
prodigious sti-ength, and they were about to assign him the prize,
v^hen a Chinese stepped into tlie ring. He was short, small, meagre,
and ap)peared calculated for no other purpose than to augment the
number of the Efeian's victims, He advanoed;, however, with an
air of firm confidence ; the Goliath of E£e stretched out his brawny

82 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

arms to grasp him, when the Chinese, who had his mouth full of
water, suddenly discharged the liquid in the giant's face. Tiie
Tartar mechanically raised his hands to wipe his eyes, and at the
instant, the cunning Chinese rushed in, caught him round the
waist, threw him off his balance, and down he went, amid the con-
vulsive laughter of the spectators.

This anecdote was told to us by a Tartar horseman who tra-
velled with us a part of our way through the kingdom of Efe. From
time to time he showed us children engaged in wrestling. " This,"
said he, " is the favourite exercise with all the inhabitants of our
kingdom of Efe. We esteem in a man but two things, — his being a
good horseman and his being a good wrestler." There was one group
of youthful wrestlers whom, exercising as they were on the side of our
road, we were enabled to watch closely and at leisure ; their ardour
redoubled when they saw we were looking at them. The tallest of
the party, who did not seem more than eight or nine years old,
took in his arms one of his companions, nearly his own height,
and very fat, and amused himself with tossing him above his head,
and catching him again, as you would a ball. He repeated this
feat seven or eight times, and at every rejtetition we trembled for
the life of the boy ; but the rest of the children only gamboled
about, applauding the success of the performers.

On the 22nd day of the eighth moon, on quitting the petty king-
dom of Efe, we ascended a mountain, on the sides of which grew
thickets of fir and birch. The sight of these at first gave us great
pleasure. The deserts of Tartary are in general so monotonously bare,
that you cannot fail to experience a pleasurable sensation when you
come upon some occasional trees on your way. Our first feelings of
joy were, however, soon demolished by a sentiment of a very dif-
ferent nature ; we were as though frozen with horror, on perceiving
at a turn of the mountain, three enormous wolves, that seemed
awaiting us with calm intrepidity. At sight of these villanous
beasts we stopped suddenly and as it were instinctively. After a
moment of general stupor, Samdadchiemba descended from his
mule, and wrung the noses of our camels. The expedient succeeded
marvellously ; the poor beasts sent forth such piercing and terrible
cries, that the scared wolves dashed off with all speed. Arsalan, who
saw them flee, thinking undoubtedly that it was himself they were
afraid of, pursued them at the utmost speed of his legs; soon the
wolves turned round, and our tent-porter would have been infallibly
devoured had not M. Gabet rushed to his aid, uttering loud cries,
and wringing the nose of his camel; the wolves having taken flight
a second time, disappeared without our again thinking of pursuing
them.

THIBET, AND CHINA. 88

Although the want of populatiou might seem to ahandon the
interminable deserts of Tartary to wild beasts, wolves are rarely met
with. This ai'ises, no doubt, from the incessant and vindictive war-
fare which the Mongols wage against them. They pursue them,
everywhere, to the death, regarding them as their capital enemy,
on account of the gi-eat damage they may inflict upon their flocks.
The announcement that a wolf has made its appearance in a
neighbourhood, is for eveiy one a signal to mount his horse. As
there are always near each tent horses ready saddled, in an instant
the plain is covered with numerous cavalry, all armed with their
long lasso-pole. The wolf in vain flees in every direction ; it
meets everywhere horsemen who rush upon it. There is no
mountain so lugged or arduous, u}) which the Tartar horses, agile
as goats, cannot pursue it. The horseman who is at length suc-
cessful in passing round its neck the mnuing knot, gallops off at
full sjDeed, dragging the wolf after him to the nearest tent ; there
they strongly bind its muzzle, so that they may torture it se-
curely; and then, by way of finale, skin it alive, and turn it
off. In summer, the wretched biute lives in this condition several
days ; but in winter, exposed without a skin to the rigom's of the
season, it dies forthwith, frozen with cold.

Some short time after we had lost sight of our three wolves, we
bad a singular encounter enough. We saw advancing towards us, on
the same road, two chariots each drawn by three oxen. To each
chariot were fastened, with gi-eat iron chains, twelve dogs of a ter-
rible and ferocious aspect, four on each side, and four behind.
These carriages were laden with square boxes, painted red ; the
drivers sat on the boxes. We could not conjecture what was the
nature of the load, on account of which they thought it essential
to have this homble escort of Cerberuses. In accordance with the
customs of the country, we could not question them on this point.
The slightest indiscretion would have made us pass in their eyes for
people actuated by evil intentions. We contented ourselves with
asking if we were still very far from the monasteiy of Tchortchi,
where we hoped to arrive that day; but the baying of the dogs, and
the clanking of their chains, prevented us from hearing the answer.

As we were going through the hollow of a valley, we remarked
on the summit of an elevated mountain before us a long line
of objects without motion, and of an indefinite form. By-and-
by these objects seemed to resemble a formidable battery of can
nons, ranged in line, and the nearer we advanced, the more were we
confirmed in this impression. We felt sm'e that we saw distinctly the
wheels of the carriages, the sponge-rods, the mouths of the cannons
pointed towai'ds the plain. But how could we bring omselves to

84 TRAVELS IN TARTARY.

tliinkthat an army, with all its train of artillery could be 'there
in the desert, amidst this profound solitude ? Giving way to a thou-
sand extravagant conjectures, we hastened our progi-ess, impatient
to examine this strange apparition closely. Our illusion was only
completely dissipated when we arrived quite at the top of the moun-
tain. What we had taken for a battery of cannons was a long
caravan of little Mongol chariots. We laughed at our mistake, but
the illusion was not an unnatural one, ïhege small two-wheeled
chariots were all standing still on their frames, each laden with a
sack of salt, covered with a mat, the ends of which extended be-
yond the extremities of the sacks, so as to resemble exactly the
mouths of cannon ; the Mongol waggoners were boiling their tea
in the open air, whilst their oxen were feeding on the sides of the
mountain. The transport of merchandise, across the deserts of
Tartary, is ordinarily effected, in default of camels, by these small two-
wheeled chariols. A few bars of rough wood are the only materials
that enter into their construction, and they are so light that
a child may lift them with ease. The oxen that draw them, have
all a little iron ring passed through their nostrils ; to this ring
is a cord, which attaches the animal to the preceding chariot ; thus
all the carriages, from the first to the last, are connected together,
and form a long uninterrupted line. The Mongol waggoners are
generally seated on the oxen, very rarely on the carriage, and scarcely
ever on foot. On all the chief roads you meet with these long lines
of carriages, and long before you see them, you hear the lugiibriou.
and monotonous sound of the great iron bells, which the oxen carry
suspended from their neck.

After drinking a cup of tea with the Mongols whom we had
met in the mountain, we, proceeded on our way; the sun was on the
point of setting, when we set up our tent on the margin of a stream
about. a hundred yards from tbe Lamasery of Tchorfcchi.

LiMASEBT OF TCUOKTCBI.

CHAPTER IV.

Young Lama cMiveited to Christianity — Lamasery of Tchortchi — Alms for the
Con.3iruction of Religious Houses — Aspect of the Buddhist Temples — Recita-
tion of Lama Prayers — Decorations, Paintings, and Sculptures of the Budd-
hist Temples — T-opography of the Grtat Koxiren in the country of the
Khalkhas — Journey of the Guisori'Tamha to Peking — ^The Kouren of the
Thousand Lamas — Suit between the Lama-King and his Ministers — Purchase
ef a Kid — Eagles of Tartary — Western Toumet — x\gricultural Tartars —
Arrival at the Blue Town — Glance at the Mantchou Nation^ — Mantchou
Literature— State of Christianity in Mantchouna — Topography and pro-
ductions- of Eastern Tartaiy — Skill of the Mantchous with the Bow.

Although we had never -sdsited the Lamasery of Tchortchi,
we, nevertheless, knew a good deal about it from the information
that had been given us. It was here that the young Lama was
educated who came to teacli M. Gabet the MoDgol language, and
whose conversion to Christianity gave such great hopes for the
propagation of the gospel among the Tartar tribes. He was
twenty-five years of age when he quitted his Lamaseiy, in 1837;
there he had passed fourteen years in the study of Lama books,
and had become well acquainted with Mongol and Mantchou
literatme. He had as yet but a very superficial knowledge of the
Thibetian language. His tutor, an old Lama, well-educated and
much respected, not merely in the Lamasery, but throughout
the whole extent of the Yellowish Banner, had cherished great
hopes of his disciple ; it was, therefore, very reluctantly that he
had consented to a temporary sepai-ation, which he limited to a

86 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

month. Before his departure the pupil prostrated himself, ac-
cording to custom, at the feet of his master, and begged him to
consult for him the Book of Oracles. After having turned over
some leaves of a Thihetian hook, the old Lama addressed to him
these words : " For fourteen years thou hast remained by thy
master's side like a faithful Chahi (disciple). Now, for the first timCj
thou art about to go from me. The future fills me with anxiety ;
be careful then to return at the appointed time. If thy absence is
prolonged beyond one moon thy destiny condemns thee never more
to set foot in our holy Lamasery." The youthful pupil departed,
resolved to obey to the letter the instructions of his tutor.

When he arrived at our mission of Si-Wan, M. Gabet chose, as
the subject of his Mongol studies, an historical summary of the
Christian religion. The oral and written conferences lasted nearly
a month. The young Lama, subdued by the force of truth, pub-
licly abjured Buddhism, received the name of Paul, and was ulti-
mately baptized, after a long course of study. The prediction of
the old Lama had its perfect accomplishment; Paul, since his con-
version, has never again set foot in the Lamasery which he quitted.

About 2,000 Lamas inhabit the Lamasery of Tchortchi, which,
it is said, is the favourite Lamasery of the Emperor, who has
loaded it with donations and privileges. The Lamas in chirge of
it all receive a pension from the court of Peking. Ihose who
absent themselves from it by permission, and for reasons approved
by the superiors, continue to share in the distributions of money
and the provisions that are made during their absence; on their
return they duly receive the full amount of their share. Doubtless
that air of ease pervading the Lamasery of Tchortchi is to be
attributed to the imperial favours. The houses in it are neat,
sometimes even elegant; and you never see there, as in other
places. Lamas covered with dirty rags. The study of the Mantchou
language is much cultivated there, an incontestable proof of the
great devotion of the Lamasery to the reigning dynasty.

With some rare exceptions the imperial benefactions go very
little way towards the construction of the Lamaseries. Those
gi'and and sumptuous monuments, so often met with in the desert,
are due to the free and spontaneous zeal of the Mongols. So
simple and economical in their dress and manner of living, these
people are generous, we might say, astonishingly prodigal in all that
concerns religious worship and expenditure. Whnn it is resolved
to construct a Buddhist temple, surrounded by its Lamasery, Lama
collectors go on their way forthwith, provided with passports,
attesting the authenticity of their mission. They disperse them-
selves throughout the kingdom of Tartary, beg alms from tent to

THIBET, AND CHINA.

87

tent in the name of tlie Old Buddha. Upon entering a tent and
explaining the object of their joui'ney, by showing ihe sacred basin
in which the offerings are placed, they are received with Joyful
enthusiasm. There is no one but gives something. The rich
place in the *' badir" ingots of gold and silver ; those who do not
possess the precious metals, offer oxen, horses, or camels. The
poorest contribute according to the extent of their means; they
give lumps of butter, furs, ropes made of the hair of camels and
horses. Thus, in a short time, are collected immense sums. Then,
in these deseits, apparently so poor, you see lise up, as if by en-
chantment, edifices whose gi-andeur and wealth would defy the
resources of the richest potentates. It was, doubtless, in the same
manner, by the zealous co-operation of the faithful, tliat were con-
stiTicted in Europe those magnificent cathedrals whose stupendous
beauty is an abiding reproach to modprn selfishness and indifference.

The Lamaseries you see in Tartary are all constmcted of brick
and stone. Only the poorest Lamas build for themselves habita-
tions of earth, and these are always so well whitewashed that they
closely resemble the rest. I'he temples are generally built with
considerable elegance, and with gi-eat sohdity; but these monu-
ments always seem crushed, being too low in proportion to their

%S TRAVELS IN TAÎITART,

dimensions. Around the Lamasery rise, numerous- and without
order, towers or jjyramids, slender and tapering, resting generally
on huge bases, little in harmony with the tenuity of the con-
structions they support. It: would be diffieult to say to what
order of architecture the Buddhic temples of Tartary belong.
They are always fantastical constructions of monstrous colonnades,,
peristyles with twisted columns, and endless ascents. Opposite
the great gate is a kind of altar of wood or stone, usually in the
fonn of a cone reversed; on this the idols ai-e placed, mostly seated
oross-legged. These idols are of colossal stature, but their faces
are fine and regular, except in the preposterous length of the ear»;,
they belong to the Caucasian type, and are wholly distinct from
the monstrous, diabolical physiognomies of the Chinese Pou Ssa.

Before the great idol, and on the same level with it, is a gilt
seat where the living Fo, the Grand Lama of the Lamasery m
seated. All around the temple are long tables almost level with
the ground, a sort of ottomans covered with carpet; and between
each row there is a vacant space, so that the Lamas may move
about i-eely.

When the hour for prayer is come, a Lama, whose office it is
to summon the guests of the convent, proceeds to the great gate of
the temple, and blows, as loud as he can, a sea- conch, successively
towards the four cardinal points. Upon hearing this powerful
instrument, audible for a league round, the Lamas put on the
mantle and cap of ceremony and assemble in the gi-eat inner court.
When the time is come the sea-conch sounds again, the great gate
is opened, and the living Fo enters the temple. As soon as he is
seated upon the altar all the Lamas lay their red boots at the ves-
tibule, and advance barefoot and in silence. As they pass him
they worshi]) the living Fo by three prostrations, and then place
themselves uj)on the divan, each according to his dignity. They
sit cross-legged ; always in a circle.

As soon as the master of the ceremonies has given the signal,
by tinkling a little bell, each murmurs in a low voice a preliminary
prayer, whilst he unrolls, upon his knees, the prayers directed by
the rubric. After this short recitation, follows a moment of pro-
found silence; the bell is again rung, and then commences a psalm
in double chorus, grave and melodious. The Thibetian prayers,
ordinarily in verse, and written in a metrical and well-cadenced
style, are marvellously adapted for harmony. At certain pauses,
indicated by the rubric, the Lama musicians execute a piece of
music, little in concert with the melodious gravity of the psalmody.
It is a confused and deafening noise of bells, cymbals, tambourines,
sea-conchs, trumpets, pipes, &e., each musician pla;ying on his in-

THIBET, AND CHINA.

80

strument with a kind of ecstatic fuiy, trying with his brethren who
shall make the greatest noise.

The interior of the temple is usually filled with ornaments,
statues, and pictures, illustrating the Ufe of Buddha, and the
various transmigrations of the more illustrious Lamas. Vases in
copper, shining like gold, of the size and form of tea- cups, are
placed in gi-eat numbers on a succession of steps, in the form of an
amphitheatre, before the idols, it is m these vases that the people

I>TI,aloa or BtDDHIST TEMPLl!

deposit their offerings of milk, butter, Mongol wine, and meal.
The extremities of each step consist of censers, in which are ever
burning aromatic plants, gathered on the sacred, mountains of
Thibet. Rich silk stuffs, covered with tinsel and gold embroidery,
form, on the heads of the idols, canopies from which hang pennants
and lanterns of painted paper or transparent horn.

The Lamas are the only artists who contribute to the ornament
r

90 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

and decoration of the temples. The paintings are quite distinct
from the taste and the principles of art as understood in Europe.
The fantastical and the grotesque predominate inside and out, both
in carvings and statuary, and the personages represented, with the
exception of Buddha, have generally a monstrous and satanic aspect.
The clothes seem never to have been made for the persons upon
whom they are placed. The idea given is that of broken limbs con-
cealed beneath awkward garments.

Amongst these Lama paintings, however, you sometimes come
across specimens by no means destitute of beauty. One day, during
a visit in the kingdom of Gechekten to the gi-eat temple called
Alton-Somné (Temple of Gold), we saw a picture which struck us
with astonishment. It was a large piece representing, in the centre,
Buddha seated on a rich carpet. Around this figure, which was
of hfe size, there was a sort of glory, composed of miniatures, allé
gorically expressing the Thousand Virtues of Buddha. We could
scarcely withdraw ourselves from this picture, remarkable as it was,
not only for the purity and grace of the design, but also for the
expression of the faces and the splendour of the colouring. All the
personages seemed full of life. We asked an old Lama, who was
attending us over the place, what he knew about this admirable
work. " Sirs," said he, raising his joined hands to his forehead in
token of respect, " this picture is a treasure of the remotest antiquity;
it comprehends within its surface the whole doctrine of Buddha.
It is not a Mongol painting; it came from Thibet, and was executed
by a saint of the Eternal Sanctuary."

The artists here are, in general, more successful in the landscapes
than in the epic subjects. Flowers, birds, trees, mythological animals,
are represented with great truth and with infinitely pleasing effect.
The colouring is wonderfully full of life and freshness. It is only
a pity that the painters of these landscapes have so very indifierent
a notion as to perspective and chiaro-oscuro.

The Lamas are far better sculptors than painters, and they are
accordingly very lavish of carvings in their Buddhist temples.
Everywhere in and about these edifices you see works of this class of
art, in quantity bespeaking the fecundity of the artist's chisel, but of a
quality which says little for liis taste. First, outside the temples are
an infinite number of tigers, lions, and elephants crouching upon
blocks of granite ; then the stone balustrades of the steps leading
to the great ^ates are covered with fantastic sculptures representing
birds, reptiles, and beasts, of all kinds, real and imaginary. Inside,
the walls are decorated witii relievos in wood or stone, executed
with great spirit and truth.

Though the Mongol Lamaseries cannot be compared, in point

THIBET, AND CHINA. 91

either of exteat or wealth, with those of Thibet, there are some of
them which are highly celebrated and greatly venerated among the
adorers of Buddha.

The most famous of all is that of. the Great Kouren (enclo-
sure), in the country of the Khalkhas. As we had an opportunity
of visiting tliis ediâce in oneof our jomnies into Northern Tartary,
we will here give some details respecting it. It stands on the bauk
of the river Toula, at the entrance to an immense forest, which
extends thence northwards, six or seven days' journey to the con
fines of Russia, and eastward, nearly five hundi-ed miles to the land
of the Solons, in Mantchomia. On your way to the Great Kouren,
over the desert of Gobi, you have to traverse, for a whole mouth,
an ocean of sand, the mournful monotony of which is not relieved
by a single stream or a single shrub ; but on reaching the Kougour
mountains, the western boundary of the states of the Guison-Tamba,
er King-Lama, the scene changes to pictm-esque and fertile valleys,
and verdant pasture-hills, crowned with forests that seem as old. as
the world itself. Through the largest valley flows tlie river Toula,
which, rising in the Barka mountains, runs from east to west
through the pastures of the Lamasery, and then entering Siberia,
falls into Lake Baikal.

The Lamasery stands on the northern bank of the river, on the
slope of a mountain. The various temples inhabited by the Guison-
Tamba, and other Grand Lamas, ai'e distinguishable from the rest
of the structure by their elevation and their gdded roofs. Thirty
thousand Lamas dwell in the Lamasery itself, or in smaller Lama-
series erected about it. The plain adjoining it is always covered
with the tents of the pilgiims- who resort hither from all paits to
worship Buddha, Here you find the U-Pi-Ta-Dze, or " Fish-skin
Tai'tai'S," encamped beside the Torgot Tartars from the smnmits of
the sacred mountains (Bokte-Oula), the Thibetians and the Péboum
of the Himalaya, with their long-haii'ed oxen, mingling with the
Mantchous from the banks of the Songari and Amor. There is an
incessant movement of tents set up and taken down, and of pil-
grims coming and going on horses, camels, oxen, mules, or wag-
gons, and on foot.

Viewed from the distance, the white cells of the Lamas, built in
horizontal lines one above the other on the sides of the mountain,
seem the steps of a gi-and altai', of which the tabernacle is the
temple of the Guison-Tamba. In the depths of that sanctuary, all
resplendent with gold and bright eolom-ing, the Lama-King, The
Holy, as he is called, par excellence^ receives the homage of the
faithful, ever prosti-ate, in succession, before him. There is not a
Khalkha Tartar who does not glory in the title of the Holy One's

92 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

Disciple. Wherever you meet a man from the district of the Great
Kouren, and ask him who he is, his proud reply is always this:
Koure Bolcte-Ain Chahi, (1 am a disciple of the Holy Kouren.)

Half-a-league from the Lamasery, on the banks of the Toula,
is a commercial station of Chinese. Their wooden or mud huts
are fortified by a circle of high palisades to keep out the pilgrims,
who, despite their devotion, are extremely given to thieving when
ever the opportunity occurs. A watch and some ingots of silver,
stolen during the night from M. Gabet, left us no doubt as to the
want of j^robity in the Holy One's disciples.

A good deal of trade is earned on here, Chinese and Russian
goods changing hands to a very large extent. The payments of
the former are invariably made in tea-bricks. Whether the article
sold be a house, a horse, a camel, or a bale of goods, the price is
settled for in bricks of tea. Five of these represent, in value, an
ounce of silver ; the monetary system, therefore, which Franklin
so much disliked, is not in use by these Northern Tartars.

The Court of Peking entertains several Mandarins at the Great
Kouren, ostensibly for tlie j)nrpose of preserving order among the
Chinese traders, but in reality to keep a watch upon the Guison-
Tamba, always an object of suspicion to the Chinese Emperors,
who bear in mind that the famous Tching-Kis-Khan wasaKhalkha,
and that the memory of his conquests has not passed away from
the hearts of this warlike people. The slightest movement at the
Great Kouren excites alarm at Peking.

In 1839 the Guison-Tamba announced his intention of paying
a visit to the Emperor Tao-Kouan. The Court of Peking became
horribly alarmed, and negociators were dispatched to divert, if pos-
sible, the Guison-Tamba from his journey; but all they could effect
was, that he should be attended by only 3,000 Lamas, and that
three other Khalkha sovereigns who were to have accompanied him
should be left behind.

Immediately upon the Guison-Tamba's departure on his pro-
gress, all the tribes of Tartary put themselves in motion, and took
up positions on the road he was to travel, in vast multitudes, each
tribe bringing for his acceptance offerings of horses, oxen, sheep,
gold and silver bullion, and precious stones. Wells were dug for
him at intervals throughout the length of the great desert of Gobi,
and at each of these were placed for his use, by the chieftain of the
particular locality, a store of provisions of all sorts. The Lama King
was in a yellow palanquin, carried by four horses, each led by a
dignitary of the Lamasery. The escort of 3,000 Lamas were
before, behind, and on each side of the palanquin, jovially dashing
about on horses and camels. The road almost throughout was

THIBET, AND CHINA. 93

lined with spectators, or rather with worshippers, eagerly awaiting
the anival of the Holy, and upon his approach, falling, first on
their knees, and then on their faces, before him, their hands crossed
over the head. It seemed the progress of a divinity come upon
earth to bless its people. On reaching the Great Wall, the Guison-
Tamba, ceasing to be a divinity, became only the chief of some
nomad tribes, scorned by the people of China, but feared by the
Court of China, more alive to political contingencies. Only one
half of the 3,000 Lamas were permitted to attend their chief
further, the rest remaining encamped north of the Great Wall.

The Guison-Tamba sojourned at Peking for three months, re-
ceiving an occasional visit fi'om the Emperor, a id f.om the Grand
Dignitaries. He then relieved the celestial city from his trouble-
some presence, and after paying visits to the Lamaseries of the
Five Towers, and of the Blue Town, set out on his return to his own
states, when he died, the victim, it was asserted, of a slow poison
that had been administered to him by order of the Emperor. The
Khalkhas, however, were more irritated than intimidated by his
death, for they are persuaded that their Guison-Tamba never
actually dies. All he does, when he appears to die, is to transmi
grate to some other country, whence he returns to them younger,
more vigorous, more active than ever. In 1844, accordingly, they
were told that their living Buddha was incarnate in Thibet, and
they went thither, in solemn procession, to fetch the child of five
years old who was indicated to them, and to place him on his im-
perishable throne. While we were encamped at Kou-Kou-Noor, on
the banks of the Blue Sea, we saw pass by us the great caravan of
Khalkhas, who were on their way to LhaSsa to bring home the
Lama-King of the Great Kouren.

The Kouren of the Thousand Lamas — Mingan Lamané Kourè —
is also a celebrated Lamaseiy, which dates from the invasion of
China by the Mantchous. When Tchun-Tche,^ founder of the
dynasty now reigning in China, descended from the forests of Mant-
chouria to march upon Peking, he met on his way a Lama of
Thibet, whom he consulted as to the issue of his enteii)rise. The
Lama promised him complete success, whereupon Tchun-Tche
ordered him to come and see him when he should be installed at
Peking. After the Mantchous had rendered themselves masters
of the capital of the empire, the Lama did not fail to keep his ap-
pointment. The Emperor at once recognised the j)erson who had
favoured him with such an auspicious horoscope ; and, in token of

1 The anecdote, -which we give as we heard it, must have reference to Tchun-
Tche's father, who died immediately after the conquest. T(;hun-Tche himself
was only four years old at the time.

94: TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

his gratitude, allotted to him a large extent of land v/hereon to con-
struct a Lamasery, and revenues sufficient for the support of a
thousand Lamas. From the time of its erection, however, the
Lamaseiy of the Thousand Lamas has grown and grown, so that
at present it contains more than four thousand Lamas, though its
original designation still remains. By degrees, traders have estah-
lished themselves around it, and have built a considerable town,
jointly occupied by Chinese and by Tartars. The principal com-
merce of the place is in beasts.

The Grand Lama of the Lamasery is, at the same time, sove-
reign of the district. It is he who makes laws, who administers
justice, and who appoints magistrates. When he dies, his subjects
go and seek for him in Thibet, where he is always understood to
metempsychosise himself.

At the time of our visit to the Kouren of the Thousand Lamae,
everything was in utter confusion, by reason of a suit between the
Lama King and his four ministers, who are called, in the Mongol
language, Dchassak. The latter had taken upon themselves to
marry, and to build houses for themselves apart fi-om the Lamaseiy,
things altogether subversive of Lama discipline. The Grand Lama
essayed to bring them to order; the four Dchassak, instead of
submitting, had collected a whole heap of grievances, upon which
they framed an accusation against their chief before the Tou-Toun,
the high Mantchou Mandarin, who acts as Secretary-of-State for the
Tartar department.

The suit had been under prosecution two months when we
visited the Lamasery, and we soon saw how the establishment was
suffering from the absence of its principals. Study or prayer there
was none; the great outer gate was open, and seemed not to have
been closed at all for some time past. We entered the interior; all
we found there was silence and solitude. The grass was growing
in the courts, and upon the walls. The doors of the temples were
padlocked, but through the gi-atings we could see that the seats, the
altars, the paintings, the statues, were all covered with dust; every-
thing manifested that the Lamasery had been for some time in a
state of utter neglect. The absence of the superiors, and the un-
certainty as to the result of the suit, had imloosened all the bonds
of discipline. The Lamas had dispersed, and people began to
regard the very existence of the Lamaseiy as extremely compro-
mised. We have since heard that, thanks to enormous bribery, the
suit terminated in favour of the Lama King, and that the four
Dchassak were compelled to conform themselves in all respects to
the orders of their sovereign.

We may add to the enumeration of the many celebrated Lama-

THIBET, AND CHINA. 95

series, those of Blue Town, of Tolon-Noor, of Gé-Ho-Eul ; and within
the Great Wall, that of Peking, and that of the Five Towers in Chan-Si.

After quitting the Lamaseiy of Tchortchi, just as we were enter
in g upon the Eed Banner, we met a Mougol hunter, who was
carrying behind him, on his horse, a fine roebuck he had just
killed. We had been so long reduced to our insipid oatmeal,
seasoned with a few bits of mutton fat, that the sight of the venison
inspired us with a somewhat decided desire to vaiy our entertain-
ment; we felt, moreover, that our stomachs, weakened by our daily
privations, imperiously demanded a more substantial alimentation.
After saluting the hunter, therefore, we asked him if he was dis-
posed to sell his venison. " Sirs Lamas," replied he, "when I placed
myself in ambush to await the deer, I had no thought of trading
in my head. The Chinese carmen, stationed up yonder beyond
Tchortchi, wanted to buy my game for four hundred sapeks, but
I said No ! But to you. Sirs Lamas, I speak not as to Kitat ; there is
my roebuck: give me what you please for it." We told Samdad-
cbiemba to pay the hunter five hundred sapeks : and hanging the
venison over the neck of one of the camels, we proceeded on our way.

Five hundred sapeks are equivalent to about 2s. Id., and this
is the ordinary price of a roebuck in Tartary ; the price of a sheep
is thrice that amount. Venison is little esteemed by the Tartars,
and still less by the Chinese ; black meat, say they, is never so
good as white. Yet in the larger cities of China, and especially at
Peking, black meat has honourable place on the tables of the rich
and of the mandaiins ; a circumstance, however, to be attributed to
the scarcity of the article, and a desire for variety. The Mantchous,
indeed, do not come within the preceding observation ; for, great
lovers of hunting, they are also gi"eat lovers of its produce, and
especially of bears, stags, and pheasants.

It was just past noon when we came to a spot marvellously
beautiful. After passing through a narrow opening between two
rocks, whose summits seemed lost in the clouds, we found ourselves
in a large enclosure, suiTounded by lofty hills, on which grew a
number of scattered pines. An abundant fountain supplied a
small stream, whose banks were covered with angelica and wild
mint. The rivulet, after making the circuit of the enclosure, amid
rich grass, had its issue thence by an opening similar to that by
which we had entered the place. No sooner had a glance compre-
hended the attractions of the spot, than Samdadchiemba moved
that we should at once set up oiu tent there. " Let us go no fur-
ther to-day," said he; "let us encamp here. We have not gone
far this morning, it is true, and the sun is still very high; but we
have got the venison to prepare, and should therefore encamp

9b TEAVRLS IN TARTAET,

earlier than usual." No one opposing the honourable gentleman's
motion, it was put and carried unanimously, and we proceeded to
set up oiu' tent by the side of the spring.

Samdadchiemba had often talked of his gi'eat dexterity in
the dissection of animals, and he was delighted with this oppor-
tunity of displaying his excellence in this respect. Having sus-
pended the roebuck from a pine-branch, sharpened his knife upon
a tent-pin, and turned up his sleeves to the elbow, he asked whether
we would have the animal dismembered à la Chinoise, à la Turque,
or à la Tartar e. Unprovided with any reason for preferring any one
of these modes to the other two, we left it to Samdadchiemba to
obey the impulse of his genius in the matter. In a minute he had
skinned and gutted the animal, and he then cut away the flesh
from the bones, in one piece, without separating the limbs, so as to
leave suspended from the tree merely the skeleton of the deer.
This, it appeared, was the Tm-kish fashion, in use upon long jour-
neys, in order to relieve travellers from the useless burden of bones.

This operation completed, Samdadchiemba cut some slices of
venison and proceeded to fry them in mutton fat, a manner of pre
paring venison not perhaps in strict accordance with the rules of
the culinary art; but the difficulty of the circumstances did not
allow us to do better. Our banquet was soon ready, but, contrary
to our expectations, we were not the first to taste it; we bad seated
ourselves triangularly on the grass, having in the midst the lid of
the pot, which served us as a dish, when all of a sudden we heard,
as it were, the rushing of a storm over our heads : a great eagle
dashed, like a lightning stroke, upon our entertainment, and imme-
diately rose with equal rapidity, bearing off in each claw a large
slice of venison. Upon recovering from our friglit at this sudden
incident, we ourselves were fain to laugh at the ludicrous aspect of
the matter, but Samdadchiemba did not laugh by any means; he
was in a paroxysm of fury, not indeed at the loss of the veiiison, but
because the eagle, in its flight, had insolently dealt him a sound
box on the ear with the extremity of its great wings.

This event served to render us more cautious on the following
venison days. During our previous journeyings we had, indeed,
on several occasions observed eagles hovering over our heads at
meal-times, but no accident of this kind had occurred ; probably
the royal birds had scorned our mere oatmeal repasts.

You see the eagle almost everywhere throughout the deserts of
Tartary; sometimes hovering and making large circles in the air,
sometimes perched upon a rising ground, motionless as the hillock
itself. No one in these countries hunts the eagle or molests it in
any way ; it may make its nest where it pleases, and there bring

THIBET, AND CHINA. 97

up its eaglets, and itself grow old, without being in the smallest
degi-ee interfered udth by man. You often see before you an eagle
resting on the plain, and looking there larger than a sheep ; as you
approach, before rising, it leisurely moves along the ground, beating
its wings, and then, by degrees ascending, it attains the altitude
where it can fly in all its grandeur and power.

After several days journey we quitted the country of the Eight
Banners and entered Western Toumet. At the time of the conquest
of China by the Mantclious, the king of Toumet, having distin-
guished himself in the expedition as an auxiliary of the invaders,
the conqueror, in order to evince liis gratitude for the services
which the prince had rendered him, gave him the fine districts
situated north of Peking, beyond the Great Wall. From that period
they have borne the name of Eastern Toumet, and Old Toumet
took that of Western Toumet; the two Toumets are separated from
each other by the Tchakar Kiver.

The Mongol Tartars of Western Toumet do not lead the pastoral
and nomadic life ; they cultivate theii' lands and apply themselves
to the arts of civilized nations. We had been for nearly a month
traversing the desert, setting-up our tent for the night in the first
convenient place we found, and accustomed to see nothing but,
above us the sky, and below and around us interminable prairies.
We had long, as it were, broken with the world, for all we had seen
of mankind had been a few Tartar horsemen dashing across the
Land of Grass, hke so many birds of passage. Without suspecting
it, our tastes had insensibly become modified, and the desert of
Mongolia had created in us a temperament friendly to the tran-
quillit}^ of solitude. When, therefore, we found ourselves amid the
cultivation, the movement, the bustle,, the confusion of civilized
existence, we felt, as it were, oppressed, suffocated; we seemed gasping
for breath, and as though every moment we were going to be stifled.
This impression, however, was evanescent; and we soon got to
think that, after all, it was more comfortable and more agreeable,
after a day's march, to take up our abode in a warm, well-stored
inn, than to have to set up a tent, to collect fuel, and to prepare
our own veiy meagie repast, before we could take oui- rest.

The inhabitants of Western Toumet, as may well be imagined,
have completely lost the stamp of their original Mongol character;
they have all become, more or less, Chinese ; many of them do not
even know a word of the Mongol language. Some, indeed, do not
scruple to express contempt for their brothers of the desert, who
refuse to subject then- prairies to the ploughshare; they say, how
ridiculous is it for men to be always vagabondizing about, and to
have merely wretched tents wherein to shelter their heads, when

98

TRAVET.S IN TARTAR Y,

TARTAR AORICOLTURlSr.

they might so easily build houses, and obtain wealth and comforts
of all kinds from the land beneath their feet. And, indeed, the
Western Toumetians are perfectly right in preferring the occupation
of agriculturist to that of shepherd, for they have magnificent
plains, well watered, fertile, and favourable to the production of all
kinds of grain crops. When we passed through the countiy,
harvest was over; but the gi'eat stacks of corn that we saw in
all directions told us that the produce had been abundant and
fine. Everything throughout Western Toumet bears the impress
of afQuence; nowhere, go in what direction you may, do you see
the wretched tumble-down houses that disfigure the highways and
by-ways of China ; nowhere do you see the miserable, half-starved,
half- clothed creatures that pain the hearts of travellers in every
other country : all the peasants here are well fed, well lodged, and
well clothed. All the villages and roads are beautified with groups
and avenues of fine trees ; whereas, in the other Tartar regions,
cultivated by the Chinese, no trees are to be seen ; trees are not
even planted, for everybody knows they would be pulled up next
day by some miserable pauper or other, for fuel.

We had made three days' journey through the cultivated lands
of the Toumet, when we entered Kou-Kou-Hute (Blue Town), called

THIBET, AND CHINA. 99

in Chinese Koni-Hoa-Tchen. There are two towns of the same
name, five lis distant from one another. The peojile distinguish
them by calHng the one " Old Town," and the other " New Town,"
or " Commercial Town," and " Military Town." We first entered
the latter, which was built by the Emperor Khang-Hi, to defend
the empire against its northern enemies. The town has a beautiful,
noble appearance, which might be admired in Eiu'ope itself. We
refer, however, only to its circuit of embattled walls, made of brick;
for inside, the low houses, built m the Chinese style, are httle in
imison with the lofty, huge ramparts that surround them. The
interior of the town ofiers nothing remarkable but its regularity,
and a large and beautiful street, which runs through it from east
to west. A Kiang-Kian, or militaiy commandant, resides here
with 10,000 soldiers, who are drilled eveiy day; so that the town
may be regarded as a garrison town.

The soldiers of the New Town of Koukou Khoton are Mant-
chou Tartars; but if you did not previously know the fact, you
would scarcely suspect it from hearing them speak. Amongst
them there is perhaps not a single man who understands the lan-
guage of his own country. Already two ages have passed away
since the Mantcheus made themselves masters of the vast empire
of China, and you would say that during these two centuries they
have been unceasingly working out their own annihilation. Their
manners, their language, their veiy country — all has become
Chinese. It may now be afiirmed that Mantchou nationality lias
become irremediably annihilated. In order to account for this
strange counter-revolution, and to understand how the Chinese have
been able to fuse their conquerors with themselves, and to get pos-
session of Mantchouria, we must look some way back, and enter
somewhat into detail.

In the time of the Ming d\Tiasty, which flourished in China
from 1368 to 1644, the Mantchous, or Eastern Tartars, after a long
series of internal wars, concurred in the selection of a chief, who
united all the tribes into one, and established a kingdom. From
that time this ferocious and barbarian people insensibly acquired
an importance which gave great umbrage to the Court of Peking ;
and in 161S its power was so well established, that its king did not
fear to transmit to the Emperor of China the statement of seven
grievances which, he said, he had to avenge. The daring manifesto
finished with these words : " And in order to avenge these seven
injuries, I will reduce and subjugate the dynasty of the Ming.'"
Shortly afterwards the empire was convulsed with revolts in all
directions ; the rebel chief besieged Peking, and took it. There-
upon the Emperor, despahing of his fortune, hanged himself from

]00

TRAVELS TN TARTAR Y,

i,:^3

CHINESE SOLDIER.

a tree in the Imperial garden, leaving near him these words, written
in his own hlood : " Since the empire is falling, the Emperor, too,
must fall." Ou-San-Koueï, the Imperial general, called in the
Mantchous to aid him in reducing the rebels. The latter were put
to flight, and while the Chinese general was pursuing them south
ward, the Tartar chief returned to Peking, and finding the throne
vacant, assumed it.

Previous to this event, the Great Wall, carefully maintained by
the Ming dynasty, had kept the Mantchous from entering China,
while, reciprocally, the Chinese were forbidden to enter Mant-
chouria. After the Mantchou conquest of the empire, however,
there was no longer any frontier separating the two nations. The
Great Wall was freely passed, and the communication between the

THIBET, AND CHINA. 101

two countries once thrown open, the Chinese populations of Pe-
Tchi-Li and Chan-Toung, lutherto confined within their narrow
provinces, biu'st hlce torrents upon Mantchouria. The Tai-tar chief
had been considered the sole master, the sole possessor of the lands
of his kingdom ; but, established as Emperor of China, he distri-
buted his vast possessions among the Mantchous, upon the condi-
tion that they should pay him heavy rents for them every year.
By means of usury and cunning, and persevering machinations,
the Chinese have since rendered themselves masters of all the lands
of their conquerors, leaving to tiiem merely their empty titles, their
onerous statutoiy laboin-, and the payment of oppressive rents.
The quality of Mantchou has thus by degrees become a very costly
afiair, and many, of consequence, seek altogether to abnegate
it. According to the law, there is, every third year, a census made
of the population of each banner, and all persons who do not cause
their names to be inscribed on the roll, are deemed no longer to
belong to the Mantchou nation ; those, therefore, of the Mantchous
whose indigence induces them to desu-e exemption from statute
laboiu- and military service, do not present themselves to the census
enumerators, and by that omission enter the ranks of the Chinese
people. Thus, while, on the one hand, constant migration has
carried beyond the Great Wall a gi-eat number of Chinese, on the
other, a gi-eat number of Mantchous have voluntarily abdicated
their nationality.

The decline, or rather the extinction of the Mantchou nation,
is now progressing more rapidly than ever. Up to the reign of
Tao-Kouan, the regions watered by the Songari were exclusively
inhabited by Mantchous: enti'ance into those vast districts was
prohibited to the Chinese, and no man was permitted to cultivate
the soil within their range. At the commencement of the present
reign, these districts were put up for public sale, in order to supply
the defi(;iency in the Imperial treasury. The Chinese rushed upon
them like birds of prey, and a few years sufficed to remove every
thing that could in any way recal the memory of their ancient pos-
sessors. It would be vain for anyone now to seek in Mautchouria a
single town, a single viDage, that is not composed entirely of Cliinese.

Yet, amid the general transformation, there are still a few tribes,
such as the SiPo and the Solon, which faithfully retain the
Mantchou type. Up to the present day their territories have been
invaded neither by the Chinese nor by cultivation ; they continue
to dwell in tents and to furnish soldiers to the Imperial armies. It
has been remarked, however, that their frequent appearance at
Peking, and their long periods of service in the provincial garrisons,
are beginning to make terrible inroads upon theii- habits and tastes.

10*2 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

Wheu the Mantchous conquered China, they imposed upon the
conquered people a portion of their dress and many of their usages.
Tobacco smoking, for example, and the manner of dressing the
hair, now in use by the Chinese, came to- them from the Mantchou
Tartars. But the Chinese,, in their turn, did; far more than this ;
they managed to make their conquerors adopt their manners and
their language. You may now traverse Mantchouria to the river
Amour, without being at all aware that you are not travelling in a
province of China. The local colouring has become totally effaced.
With the exception of a few nomadic tribes no one speaks Mantchou :
and there would, perhaps, remain no trace of this fine language,
had not the Emperors Khang-Hi and Kien-Loung erected, in its
honour, monuments imperishable in themselves, and which will
ever attract the attention of European orientalists.

At one time the Mantchous had no writing of their own ; it was
not until 1624, that Tai-TsouKao-Hoang-Ti, chief of the Eastern
Tartars, directed several learned persons of his nation to design a
system of letters for the Mantchous, upon the model of those of the
Mongols. Subsequently, in 1641, a m^an of great genius, named
Tahai, perfected the work, and gave to the Mantchou system of
letters the elegance, clearness, and refinement which now charac-
terize it.

Chun-Tche had the finest productions of Chinese literature
translated into Mantchou. Khang-Hi established an academy of
learned persons, equally versed in the Chinese and Tartar lan-
guages, whom he employed upon the translation of classical and
historical works, and in the compilation of several dictionaries. In
order to express novel objects and the various conceptions pre-
viously unknown to the Mantchous, it was necessary to invent
terms, borrowed, for the most part, from the Chinese, and adapted,
by slight alterations, as closely as possible, to the Tartar idiom.
This process, however, tending to destroy, by imperceptible degrees,
the originality of the Mantchou language, the Emperor Kien-Loung,
to avert the danger, had a Mantchou dictionary compiled, from
which all Chinese words were excluded. The compilers went about
questioning old men and other Mantchous deemed most conversant
with their mother-tongue, and rewards were given to such as brought
forward an obsolescent word or expression which was deemed
worthy of revival and perpetuation in the dictionary.

Thanks to the solicitude and enlightened zeal of the first sove-
reigns of the present dynasty, there is now no good Chinese book
which has not been translated into Mantchou; and all these trans-
lations are invested with the greatest possible authenticity, as
having been executed by learned academies, by order and under

THIBET, AND CHINA- 103

the immediate auspices of several emperors : and as having, more-
over, heen suhseqiiently revised and corrected by other academies,
equally learned, and whose members were versed alike in the
Chinese language and in the Mantchou idiom.

The Mantchou language has attained, by means of all these
learned labours, a solid basis; it may, indeed, become no longer
spoken, but it will ever remain a classic tongue, and ever be of
most imjiortant aid to pliilologers applying their studies to the
Asiatic tongues. Besides numerous and faithful translations of the
best Chinese books, the Mantchou language possesses versions of
the principal productions in the Lamanesque, Thibetian,. and Mant-
chou literature. A few years labom' will thus suffice to place the
diligent student of Mantchou in full possession of all the most
precious monuments of Eastern Asiatic literature.

The Mantchou language is sonorous, harmonious, and, above
all, singularly clear. Its study is now rendered easy and agreeable
by H. Conon de la Gabelentz^s " Elemens de la Grammaire Mant-
chou," published at Altemburg, in Saxony, and which develops,
with happy lucidity, the mechanism and rules of the language.
The excellent work of this learned orientalist cannot fail to be of
great assistance to all who desire to apply themselves to the study
of a language menaced with extinction in the veiy countiy which
gave it birth, but which France, at least, will preserve for the use
of the world of letters. M. Conon de la Gabelentz says, in the
preface to his gi-ammar: "I have selected the French language in
the preparation of my work, because France is, as yet, the only
European country in which Mantchou has been cultivated, so tliat
it seems to me indispensable that all who desne to study this
idiom should first know French, as being the tongue in which are
composed the only European works which relate to Mantchou
literature."

While the French missionai'ies were enriching their country
with the Uterary treasures which they found in these remote regions,
they were, at the same time, ardently engaged in difiusing the light
of Christianity amid these idolatrous nations, whose religion is
merely a monstrous medley of doctrines and practices borrowed at
once from Lao-Tseu, Confucius, and Buddha.

It is well known that in the earher years of the present dynasty,
these missionaries had, by their talents, acquii*ed great influence at
coui't ; they always accompanied the Emperors in the long and fre-
quent joiuTieys which at that period they were accustomed to make
into the regions of their ancient rule. These zealous preachers of
the gospel never failed on all such occasions to avail themselves of
the protection and influence they enjoyed, as a means for sowing,

104 TKAYELS IN TARTARY,

wherever they went, the seeds of the true faith. Such was the first
origin of the introduction of Christianity into Mantchouria. They
reckoned at first but few neophytes; but the number of these was
insensibly augmented afterwards by the migrations of the Chinese,
in which were always to be found several Christian families.
These missions formed part of the diocese of Peking until within
a few years past; then the Bishop of Nanking, administrator of the
diocese of Peking, finding himself nigh the close of his career, and
fearing that the political commotions of which Portugal, his native
country, was at that time the theatre, would preclude the Portu-
guese church from sending an adequate number of labourers to
cultivate the vast field which had been confided to him, communi-
cated his apprehensions to the Sacred College de Propaganda Fide,
and earnestly entreated its members to take under their especial
attention a harvest, already ripe, but which was under peril of
destruction, for want of husbandmen to gather it in. The sacred
congregation, touched with the anxiety of this venerable and
zealous old man, among its other arrangements for meeting the
requirements of these unfortunate missions, dismembered Mant-
chouria from the diocese of Peking, and erected it into an Apostolic
Vicariat, which was confided to the charge of the Foreign Mission-
ary Society. M. Verolles, Bishop of Colombia, was made the new
Vicar Apostolic. Nothing less than the patience, the devotion, the
every virtue of an apostle, was essential for the due administration
of this Christendom. The prejudices of the neophytes, not as yet
brought within the rules of ecclesiastical discipline, were, for M.
Veiolles, obstacles more difiicult to overcome than even the rugged-
ness of heart of the pagans; but his experience and his wisdom
soon triumphed over all impediments. The mission has assumed a
new form ; the number of Christians is annually augmenting ; and
there is now every hope that the Apostohc Vicariat of Mantchouria
will become one of the most flourishing missions in Asia.

Mantchouria is bounded on the north by Siberia, on the south
by the Gulf Phou-Hai and Corea, on the east by the sea of Japan,
and on the west by Kussian Dauria and Mongolia.

Moukden, in Chinese Chen-Yan, is the chief town of Mant-
chouria, and may be considered the second capital of the Chinese
empire. The Emperor has a palace and coui'ts of justice there on
the model of those at Peking. Moukden is a large and fine city,
surrounded by thick and lofty ramparts; the streets are broad
and regular, and less dirty and tumultuous than those of Peking.
One entire quarter is appropriated to the princes of the Yellow
Girdle; that is, to the members of the Imperial family. They are
all under the direction of a giand Mandarin, who is entrusted with

THIBET, AND CHINA. 105

the inspection of their conduct, and empowered summaiily to
punish any offences they may commit.

After Moukden, the most remarkable towns are Ghirin, sur
rounded by high wooden palisades, and Ningouta, the native place
of the reigning Imperial family. Lao-yan, Kai-Tcheou, and Kin-
Tcheou, are remarkable for the extensive commerce their maritime
position biings them.

Mantchouria, watered by a gi'eat number of streams and rivers,
is a country naturally fertile. Since the cultivation has been in
the hands of the Chinese, the soil has been enriched by a large
number of the products of the interior. In the southern part, they
cultivate successfully the di-y lice, or that which has no need of
watering, and the Imperial rice, discovered by the Emperor Khang-
Hi. These two sorts of rice would certainly succeed in France.
They have also abundant hai'vests of millet, of Kao-Léang^or Indian
com [Holcus Sorghum), from which they distil excellent brandy;
sesamum, linseed, hemp, and tobacco, the best in the whole Chinese
empire.

The IVl antchourians pay especial attention to the cultivation of
the herbaceous-stemmed cotton plant, which produces cotton in
exti'aordinary abundance. A Meou of these plants, a space of about
fifteen square feet, ordinarily produces 2,000 lbs. of cotton. The
fi'uit of the cotton-tree grows in the form of a cod or shell, and
attains the size of a hazel nut. As it ripens, the cod opens, divides
into three parts, and develops three or four small tufts of cotton
which contain the seeds. In order to separate the seed, they make
use of a sort of little bow, firmly strung, the cord of which vibrating
over the cotton tufts removes the seeds, of which a portion is retained
for next year's sowing, and the rest is made into oil, resembling lin-
seed oil. The upper poilion of Mantchouria, too cold to grow
cotton, has immense harvests of corn.

Besides these productions, common to China, Mantchouria
possesses thi-ee treasures^ peculiar to itself : jin-seng, sable fur, and
the grass Oui a.

The fii'st of these productions has been long known in Em-ope,
though om' leai-ned Academy there ventured some years ago to
doubt its existence, Jin-seng is perhaps the most considerable aiticle
of Mantchourian commerce. Throughout China there is no chemist's
shop unprovided with more or less of it.

The root of jin-seng is straight, spindle-shaped, and veiy knotty ;
seldom so large as one's little finger, and in length from two to three
inches. When it has undergone its fitttog preparation, its colour

1 The Chinese designate ihem San Pao ; the Mantchous, Ilan Baobai ; the
Mongols, Korban enleni ; and the Thibetians, Tchok-Soum.

G

I(T6 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

is a transparent white, with sometimes a slii^ht red or yellow tinge.
Its appearance, then, is that of a branch of stalactite.

The Chinese report marvels of the jin-seng, and no doubt it is,
for Chinese organization, a tonic of very great effect for old and
weak persons ; but its nature is too heating, the Chinese physicians
admit, for the European temperament, already, in their opinion, too
hot. The price is enormous, and doubtless its dearness contributes,
with a people like the Chinese, to raise its celebrity so high. The
rich and the Mandarins probably use it only because it is above
the reach of other people, and out of pure ostentation.

The jin-seng, grown in Corea, and there called Kao-li-seng, is
of very inferior quality to that of Mantchouria.

The second special treasure of Eastern Tartary is the fur of the
sable, which, obtained by the hunters with immense labour and
danger, is of such excessive price that only the princes and gi'eat
dignitaries of the empire can purchase it. The grass called Quia,
tlie third specialty of Mantchouria, is, on the contrary, of the com-
monest occurrence ; its peculiar property is, that if put into your
shoes, it communicates to the feet a soothing warmth, even in the
depth of winter.

As we have said above, the Mantchou Tartars have almost
wholly abdicated their own manners, and adopted instead those of
the Chinese ; yet, amid this transformation of their primitive cha-
racters, they have still retained their old passion for hunting, for
horse exercise, and for archery. At all periods of their history,
they have attached an astonishing importance to these various
exercises ; any one may convince himself of this by merely nmniug
his eye over a Mantchou dictionary. Every thing, every incident,
every attribute relating to these exercises, has its special expression,
so as to need no circumlocution to convey it. There are different
names, not only for the different colours of the horse, for example,
for its age and qualities, but for all its movements; and it is just
the same with reference to hunting and archery.

The Mantchous are excellent archers, and among them the
tribe Solon are particularly eminent in this respect. At all the
militai-y stations, trials of skill with the bow take place on certain
periodical occasions, in presence of the Mandarins and of the
assembled people. Tlu-ee straw men, of the size of life, are placed
in a straight Ihie, at from twenty to thirty paces distance from one
another; the archer is on a line with them, about fifteen feet off
fVom the first figure, his bow bent, and his finger on the string.
The signal being given, he puts his horse to a gallop, and discharges
his arrow at the first figure ; without checking his horse's speed, he
takes a second arrow from his quiver, places it in the bow, and

THIBET, AND CHTNA. 1 07

discharges it against the second figure, and so with the third;
all this while the horse is dashing at fidl speed along the line of the
figin-es, so that the rider has to keep himself firm in the stirrups
while he manœuvi-es with the promptitude necessary to avoid the
getting heyond his mark. From the first figure to the second, the
arclier lias hare time for drawing his arrow, fixing, and discharging
it, so that when he shoots, he has generally to turn somewhat on
his saddle ; and as to the third shot, he has to discharge it alto-
gether in the old Parthian fashion. Yet for a competitor to be
deemed a good archer, it is essential that he should fire an an'ow into
every one of the three figures. " To know how to shoot an aiTow,"
writes a Mantchou author, " is the first and most important know-
ledge for a Tartar to acquire. Though success therein seems an
easy matter, success is of rare occurrence. How many are there
who practise day and night? How many are there who sleep with
the how in their arms? and yet how few are there who have ren-
dered themselves famous. How few are there whose names are
proclaimed at the matches! Keep your frame straight and
firm; avoid vicious postures; let your shoidders be immovable.
Fire every aiTow into its mark, and you may be satisfied with
your skill."

The day after our arrival at the military town of Koukou-Khoton,
we repaired on a visit to the mercantile district. Our hearts were
painfully affected at finding ourselves in a Mantchou town, and
hearing any language spoken there but the Mantchou. We could
not reconcile to our minds the idea of a nation renegade of its
nationality, of a conquering people, in nothing distinguishable from
the conquered, except, perhaps, that they have a little less industry
and a little more conceit. When the Thibetian Lama promised to
the Tartar chief the conquest of China, and predicted to him that
he should soon be seated on the throne at Peking, he would have
told him more of truth, had he told him that his whole nation, its
manners, its language, its country, was about to be engulphed for
ever in the Chinese empire. Let any revolution remove the present
dynasty, and the Mantchou will be compelled to complete fusion
with the empire. Admission to their own country, occupied en-
tirely by Chinese, will be forbidden to them. In reference to a
map of Mantchouria, compiled by the Fathers Jesuits, upon the
order of the Emperor Khang-Hi, Father Duhalde says that they
abstained fi-om giving the Chinese names of places in the map ;
and he assigns for this the following reason : " Of what use woidd
it be to a traveller through Mantchouria to be told, for example,
that the river Sakhalien-Oula is called by the Chinese Hé-Loung-
Kiang, since it is not with Chinese he has there to do ; and the

108

TRAVELS IN TAETAKY.

Tartars, whose aid he requires, have never heard the Chinese narae."
This observation might be just enough in the time of Khang Hi,
but now the precise converse would hold good; for in traversing
Mantchouria it is always with Chinese you have to deal, and it is
always of the Hé-Loung-Kiang that you hear, and never of the
Sakhalien-Oula.

CHI>iESE MONEÏ CH'

CHAPTER V.

The Old Blue Town— Quarter of the Tanners — Knavery of the Chinese Traders —
Hotel of the Three Perfections — Spoliation of the Tartars by the Chinese —
Money Changer's Office — Tartar Coiner — Purchase of two Sheep-skin Robes
— Camel Market — Customs of the Cameleers — Assassination of a Grand
Lama of the Blue Town — Insurrection of the Lamaseries — Négociation
between the Court of Peking and that of Lha-Ssa — Domestic Lamas — Wan-
dering Lamas — Lamas in Community — Policy of the Mantchou Dynasty
with reference to the Lamaseries — Interview with a Thibetian Lama — De-
parture from the Blue Town.

From the Mantchou town to the Old Blue Town is not more than
half an hour's walk, along a broad road, constructed through the
large market, which narrowed the town. With the exception
of the Lamaseries, which rise above the other buildings, you see
before you merely an immense mass of houses and shops huddled
confusedly together, without any order or arrangement whatever.
The ramparts of the old town still exist in all their integiity ; but
the increase of the population has compelled the people by degrees
to pass this hairier. Houses have risen outside the walls one after
another until large suburbs have been formed, and now the extra-
mural city is larger than the intra-mural.

We entered the city by a broad street, which exhibited nothing
remarkable except the large Lamasery, called, in common with the

110 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

more celebrated establishment in the province of Chan-Si, the
Lamasery of the Five Towers. It derives this appellation from a
handsome square tower with five turrets, one, very lofty, in the
centre and one at each angle.

Just beyond this the broad street terminated, and there was no exit
but a narrow lane running right and left. We turned down what
seemed the least dirty of these, but soon found ourselves in a
liquid slough of mud and filth, black, and of suffocating stench
— we had got into the Street of the Tanners. We advanced slowly
and shudderiugly, for beneath the mire lay hid, now a gi-eat stone,
over which we stumbled, now a hole, into which we sank. To
complete our misfortune, we all at once heard before us deafening
cries and shouts, indicating that along the tortuosities of the lane
in which we were horsemen and carts were about to meet us. To
draw back, or to stand aside, were equally impossible, so that our
only resource was to bawl on our own account, and, advancing,
take our chance. At the next turning we met the cavalcade, and
something extremely disagreeable seemed threatening us, when,
upon sight of our camels, the horses of the other party took fright,
and, turning right round, galloped off in utter confusion, leaving
the way clear before us. Thus, thanks to our beasts of burden,
we were enabled to continue our journey without giving the way to
any one, and we at last arrived, without any serious accident, in a
spacious street, adorned on each side with fine shops.

We looked about for an inn, but fruitlessly ; we saw several
inns, indeed, but these were not of the kind we sought. In the
gi-eat towns of Northern China and Tartary each inn is devoted to
a particular class of travellers, and will receive no other. "The
Corndealers' Arms " inn, for example, will not admit a horse
dealer, and so on. The inns which devote themselves to the enter-
tainment of mere travellers are called the taverns of the Transitoiy
Guests. We were pausing, anxiously looking about for one of
these, when a young man, hastening from an adjacent shop, came
up to us: "You seek an inn, gentlemen travellers," said he;
" suifer me to guide you to one ; yet I scarcely know one in the
Blue City worthy of you. Men are innumerable here, my Lords
Lamas; a few good, but, alas! most bad. I speak it from my
heart. In the Blue City you would with diiBculty find one man
who is guided by his conscience ; yet conscience is a treasm-e ! You
Tartars, you, indeed, know well what conscience is. Ah ! I know
the Tai-tars well ! excellent people, right-hearted souls ! We
CliJnese are altogether different — rascals, rogues. Not one China-
man in ten thousand heeds conscience. Here, in this Blue City,
evei-ybody, with the merest exceptions, makes it his business to

THIBET, AND CHINA. 1 1 1

cheat the worthy Tartars, and rob them of their goods. Oh ! it 's
shameful !"

And the excellent creature threw up his eyes as he denounced
the knavery of his townsmen. We saw very clearly, however,
that the direction taken by the eyes thus thrown up was the camel's
back, whereon were two large cases, which our disinterested adviser
no doubt took to contain precious merchandise. However, we let
him lead us on and chatter as he pleased. When we had been
wandering about under his escort for a full hour, and yet had
readied no inn, we said to him : " We cannot think of troubling
you fmther, since you yourself seem not to know where we may
find that which we need." " Be perfectly easy, my lords," replied
he; "I am guiding you to an excellent, a superexcellent hotel.
Don't mention a word as to troubling me ; you pain me by the
idea. What ! are we not all brothers ? Away with the distinction
between Tartar and Chinese ! True, the language is not the same,
nor the dress ; but men have but one heart, one conscience, one
invariable rule of justice. Just wait one moment for me, my lords ;
I will be with you again before you can look round," and so saying
he dived into a shop on the left. He was soon back with us, making
a thousand apologies for having detained us. " You must be veiy
tired, my lords ; one cannot be otherwise when one is travelling.
'Tis quite different from being with one's own family." Ashe spoke,
we were accosted by another Chinese, a ludicrous contrast with
our first friend, whose round shining smiling face was perfectly
intense in its aspect of benevolence. The other fellow was meagi-e
and lanky, with thin, pinched lips and little black eyes, half bm'ied
in the head, that gave to the whole physiognomy a character of the
most thorough knavery. " My Lords Lamas," said he, " I see you
have just amved! Excellent! And you have journeyed safely.
Well, well ! Your camels ai-e magnificent ; 'tis no wonder you
travel fast and securely upon such animals. Well, you have
arrived : that's a gi'eat happiness. Se-Eul," he continued, ad-
dressing the Chinese who had first got hold of us, " you are
guiding these noble Tartars to an hotel. 'Tis well ! Take care that
the hotel is a good one, worthy of the distinguished strangers.
What tliink you of the ' Tavern of Eternal Equity ? '" " The very
hotel whither I was leading the Lords Lamas." "There is none
better in the empire. By the way, the host is an acquaintance of
mine. I cannot do better than accompany you and recommend
these noble Tartars to his best cai-e. In fact, if I were not to go
with you, I should have a weight upon my heart. When we are
fortunate enough to meet brothers who need our aid, how can we
do too much for them, for we are all brothers ! My lords, you see

112 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

this young man and myself; well, we two are clerks in the same
establishment, and we make it our pride to serve our brothers the
Tartars ; for, alas ! in this dreadful city there is but too little
virtue."

Any one, hearing their professions of devoted zeal, would have
imagined these two personages to have been the friends of our
childhood ; but we were sufficiently acquainted with Chinese
manners to perceive at once that we were the mark of a couple of
swindlers. Accordingly, when we saw inscribed on a door, " Hotel
of the Three Perfections ; transitory guests on horse and camel
entertained, and their affairs transacted with infallible success,"
we at once directed our course up the gateway, despite the vehe-
ment remonstrances of our worthy guides, and rode down a long
avenue to the great square court of the hotel. The little blue cap
worn by the attendants indicated that we were in a Turkish esta-
blishment.

This proceeding of ours was not at all what the two Chinese
desired ; but they still followed us, and, without appearing dis-
concerted, continued to act their parts. " Where are the people of
the hotel," cried they, with an immense air; "let them prepare
a large apartment, a fine, clean apartment ? Their Excellencies
have arrived, and must be suitably accommodated." One of the
principal waiters presented himself, holding by his teeth a key, in
one hand a broom, and in the other a watering-pot. Our two pro-
tectors immediately took possession of these articles. " Leave
everything to us," said they; " it is we who claim the honour of
personally waiting upon our illustrious friends ; you, attendants of
the hotel, you only do things by halves, actuated as you are merely
by mercenary considerations." And thereupon they set to work
sprinkling, sweeping, and cleaning the room to which the waiter
guided us. When this operation was concluded, we seated our-
selves on the khang; the two Chinese "knew themselves better
than to sit by the side of our Eminent Distinctions," and they
accordingly squatted on the floor. As tea was being served, a
young man, well attired and of exceedingly elegant address, came
into the room, carrying by the four corners a silk handkerchief.
" Gentlemen Lamas," said the elder of our previous companions,
" this young man is the son of our principal, and doubtless has
been sent by his father to inquire after your health, and whether
you have so far journeyed in peace." The young man placed his
handkerchief upon the table that stood before us. " Here are
some cakes my father has sent to be eaten with your tea. When
you have finished that meal, he entreats you will come and partake
of an humble repast in our poor dwelling." " But why wear your

THIBET, AND CHINA. ] IB

hearts out thus for us mere strangers ? " " Oh ! " exclaimed all
three in chorus, "the words you utter cover us with bhishes!
What ! can we do anything in excess for brothers who have thus
honoured us with their presence in our poor city !" " Poor
Tartars!" said I in French to my colleague, "how thoroughly
eaten up they must he when they fall into such hands as these!"
These words, in an unkno^^^l tongue, excited considerable surprise
in our worthy fi-iends. " In which of the illustrious kingdoms of
Tartary dwell your Excellencies?" asked one of them. " We are
not Tartars at all," was the reply. "Ah! we saw that at once;
the Tartars have no such majesty of aspect as yours ; their mien
has no grandeur about it ! May we ask what is the noble counti'j?
whence you come?" "We are from the West; our native land
is far hence." " Quite so," replied the eldest of the three knaves.
" I knew it, and I said so to these young men, but they are ignorant ;
they know nothing about physiognomy. Ah ! you are from the
West. I know your country well ; I have been there more than
once." " We are delighted to hear this : doubtless, then, you are
acquainted with our language?" " Why, I cannot say I know it
thoroughly ; but there are some few words I understand. I can't
speak them, indeed ; but that does not matter. You western people
are so clever, you know everything, the Chinese language, the Tar-
tarian, the western — you can speak them all. I have always been
closely mixed up with your countrymen, and have invariably been
selected to manage their affairs for them whenever they come to
the Blue Town. It is always I who make their purchases for
them."

We had by this time finished our tea; our three friends rose,
and with a simultaneous bow, invited us to accompany them. " My
lords, the repast is by this time prepared, and our chief awaits you."
" Listen," said we, gi'avely, " while we utter words full of reason.
You have taken the trouble to guide us to an inn, which shows you
to be men of wann hearts ; you have here swept for us and prepared
our room ; again, in proof of your excellent dispositions, yom* master
has sent us pastry, which manifests in him a benevolence incapable
of exhaustion towards the wayfaring stranger. You now invite us
to go and dine with you : we cannot possibly trespass so grossly
upon your kindness. No, dear fiiends, you must excuse us; if we
desire to make some purchases in your establishment, you may rely
upon us. For the present we will not detain you. We are going
to dine at the Turkish Eating House." So saying, we rose and
ushered our excellent friends to the door.

The commercial intercourse between the Tartars and the
Chinese is revoltingly iniquitous on the part of the latter. So

il4 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

soon as Mongols, simple, ingenuous men, if such there be at all in
the world, anive in a trading town, they are snapped up by some
Chinese, wlio carry them off, as it were, by main force, to their
houses, give them tea for themselves and forage for their animals, and
«ajole them in every conceivable way. The Mongols, themselves
without guile and incapable of conceiving guile in others, take all
they hear to be perfectly genuine, and congratulate themselves,
conscious as they are of their inaptitude for business, upon their
good fortune in thus meeting with brothers, Ahatoii, as they say,
in whom they can place full confidence, and who will undertake to
manage their whole business for them. A good dinner provided
gratis in the back shop, completes the illusion. " If these people
wanted to rob me," says the Tartar to himself, " they would not go
to all this expense in giving me a dinner for nothing." When once
the Chinese has got hold of the Tartar, he employs over him all the
resources of the skilful and utterly unprincipled knavery of the
Chinese character. He keeps him in his house, eating, drinking,
and smoking, one day after another, until his suboixlinates have
sold all the poor man's cattle, or whatever else he has to sell, and
bought for him, in return, the commodities he requires, at prices
double and triple the market value. But so plausible is the
Chinese, and so simple is the Tartar, that the latter invariably de-
parts with the most entire conviction of the immense philanthropy
of the former, and with a promise to return, when he has other
goods to sell, to the establishment where he has been treated so
fraternally.

The next morning we went out to purchase some winter clothing,
the want of which began to make itself sensibly felt. But first, in
order to facilitate our dealings, we had to sell some ounces of
silver. The money of the Chinese consists entirely of small round
copper coins, of the size of our lialfpenny, with a square hole in
the centre, through which the people string them, so that they may be
more conveniently carried. These coins the Chinese call, tsien ; the
Tartars, dehos ; and the Europeans, sapeks. Gold and silver are
not coined at all ; they are melted into ingots of various sizes, and
thus put into ch'culation. Gold-dust and gold leaf are also current
in commerce, and they also possess bank notes. The ordinary value
of the ounce of silver is 1,700 or 1,800 sapeks, according to the
scarcity or abundance of silver in the country.

The money changers have two iiTegular modes of making a profit
by their traffic : if they state the fair price of silver to the customer,
they cheat him in the weight; if their scales and their method of
weighing are accurate, they diminish the price of the silver accord-
ingly. But when they have to do with Tartars, they employ neither

THIBET, AND CHINA. 115

of these methods of fraud ; on the contrary, they weigh the silver
scmpiilously, and sometimes allow a little overweight, and even
they pay them above the market price; in fact, they appear to he
quite losers by the transaction, and so they would be, if the weight
and the price of the silver alone were considered; their advantage
is derived, in these cases, from their manner of calculating the
amount. When they come to reduce the silver into sapeks, they
do indeed reduce it, making the most flagrant miscalculations,
which the Tartars, who can count nothing beyond their beads, are
quite incapable of detecting, and which they, accordingly, adopt
implicitly, and even with satisfaction, always considering they have
sold then bidUon well, since they know the full weight has been
allowed, and that the full market price has been given.

At the money changers in the Blue Town, to which we went to
sell some silver, the Chinese dealers essayed, according to custom,
to ajjply tills fi-aud to us, but they were disconcerted. The weight
shown by their scales was perfectly correct, and the price they
offered us was rather above the ordinary course of exchange, and
the bargain between us was so far concluded. The chief clerk took
the souan-pan, the calculation table used by the Chinese, and after
calculating with an appearance of intense nicety, announced the
result of his operation. " This is an exchange- office," said we ; "you
are the buyers, we the sellers; you have made your calculation, we
will make ours : give us a pencil and a piece of paper." — " Nothing
can be more just; you have enunciated a fundamental law of com-
merce," and so saying, they handed us a writing-case. We took
the pencil, and a very sliort calculation exhibited a difference in
our favour of a thousand sapeks. " Superintendent of the bank,"
said we, " yom* souanpan is in error by a thousand sapeks." — " Im-
possible ! Do you think that all of a sudden I've forgotten my
souan-pan ? Let me go over it again ; " and he proceeded with an
air of great anxiety to appear correct, to set his calculating machine
once more in operation, the other customers by om* side looking on
with great amazement at all this. When he had done: "Yes,"
said he, "I knew I was right; see, brother; " and he passed the
machine to a colleague behind the counter, who went over his cal-
culation ; the result of their operations was exactly the same to a
fraction. " You see," said the principal, " there is no eiTor. How
is it that our calculation does not agree with that which you
have written down there ?" — " It is unimportant to inqune
why your calculation does not agi-ee with ours; this is certain, that
your calculation is wrong and ours right. You see these little
characters that we have traced on this paper; they are a very dif-
feient thing from your souan-pan; it is impossible for them to be

116 TRAVELS IN TARTAÎIY,

wrong. Were all the calculators in the world to work the whole of
their lives upon this operation, they could arrive at no other result
than this; that yoiu- statement is Ma'ong by a thousand sapeks."

The money-changers were extremely embaiTassed, and began to
tuni veiy red, when a bystander, who perceived that the affair was
assuming an awkward aspect, presented himself as umpire. " I'll
reckon it up for you," said he, and taking the souan-pan, his calcu-
lation agreed with ours. The superintendent of the bank hereupon
made us a profound bow: " Sh's Lamas," said he, "your mathe-
matics are better than mine." " Oh, not at all," re2:)lied we, with a
bow equally profound; "your souan-pan is excellent, but who
ever heard of a calculator always exempt from error? People
like you may very well be mistaken once and a way, whereas poor
simple folks like us make blunders ten thousand times. Now, how-
ever, we have fortunately concurred in our reckoning, thanks to the
pains you have taken." These phrases were rigorously required
under the circumstances, by Chinese politeness. Whenever any
person in China is compromised by any awkward incident, those
present always carefully refrain from any observation which may
make him blush, or as the Chinese phrase it, take away his face.

After our conciliatory address had restored self-possession to all
present, everybody drew round the piece of paper on which we had
cast up our sum in Arabic numerals. " That is a fine souan-pan,"
said one to another; " simple, sure, and speedy." — " Sirs Lamas,"
asked the principal, "what do these characters mean? Wha.t
souan-pan is this? " " This souan-pan is infallible," returned we;
" the characters are those which the Mandarins of Celestial Litera-
ture use in calculating eclipses, and the course of the seasons."^
After a brief conversation on the merits of the Arabic numerals,
the cashier handed us the full amount of sapeks, and we parted good
friends.

The Chinese are sometimes victims to their own knavery, and
we have known even Tartars catch them in a snare. One day a
Mongol presented himself at the counter of a Chinese money-
changer, with a youeri-pao carefully packed and sealed. A youen-
pao is an ingot of silver weighing three pounds — in China there are
sixteen ounces to the pound; the three pounds are never very
rigorously exacted ; there being generally four or five ounces over, so
that the usual weight of an ingot of silver is fifty-two ounces. The
Tartar had no sooner unpacked his youen-pao than the Chinese
clerk resolved to defraud him of an ounce or two, and weighing it,
he pronounced it to be fifty ounces. " My youen pao weighs tifty-

1 The Fathers Jesuits introduced the use of Arabic numerals into the Observatory
at Peking.

THIBET, AND CHINA. 117

two ounces," exclaimed the Tartar. " I weighed it before I left
home." " Oh, your Tartar scales are all very well for sheep ; but
they don't do for weighing bullion." After much haggling, the bar-
gain was concluded, the youen-pao was purchased as weigning fifty
ounces, and the Tartar, having first required and obtained a cer-
tificate of the stated weight and value of the ingot, returned to his
tent with a good provision of sapeks and bank notes.

In the evening the principal of the establishment received the
usual report from each clerk of the business done in the course of
the day. " I," said one of them with a triumphant air, " bought
a youen-pao of silver, and made two ounces by it." He produced
the ingot, which the chief received with a smile, soon changing
into a frown. " What have you got here?" cried he. " This is not
silver! " The ingot was handed round, and all the clerks saw that
indeed it was base bullion. " I know the Tartar," said the clerk
who had purchased it, " and will have him up before the Mandarin."

The satellites of justice were forthwith dispatched after the
roguish Tartar, whose offence, proved against him, was matter of
capital punishment. It was obvious that the ingot was base bullion,
and on the face of the affair there was clear proof that the Tartar
had sold it. The Tartar, however, stoutly repudiated the imputa-
tion. " The humblest of the humble," said he, " craves that he
may be allowed to put forth a word in his defence." " Speak,"
said the Mandarm, " but beware how you say aught other than
the exact truth." " It is true," proceeded the Tartar, " that I sold
a youen-pao at this person s shop, but it was all pure silver. I am
a Tartar, a poor, simple man, and these people, seeking to take
advantage of me, have substituted a false for my genuine ingot.
I cannot command many words, but I pray our father and mother,
{i.e. the Mandarin), to have this false youen-pao weighed." The
ingot was weighed, and was found to contain fifty-two ounces.
The Tartar now drew from one of his boots a small parcel, contain-
ing, wrapped in rags, a piece of paper, which he held up to the
Mandarin. " Here is a certificate " cried he, " which I received at
the shop, and which attests the value and weight of the youen-pao
that I sold." The Mandarin looked over the paper with a roguish
smUe, and then said: "According to the testimony of the clerk
himself who wrote this certificate, this Mongol sold to him a youen-
pao weighing fifty ounces ; this youen-pao of base bullion weighs
fifty-two ounces; this, therefore, cannot be the Mongol's youen-pao;
but now comes the question, whose is ic ? Who are really the persons
that have false bullion in their possession? " Every body present,
the Mandarin included, knew perfectly well how the case stood ;
but the Chinese magistrate, tickled with the Tartar's ingenuity, gave

I'lS TKAVELS IN TARTARY,

him the benefit of the clerk's dull roguery, and dismissed the cliarge;
but not so the accusers, who were well bastinadoed, and would have
been put to death as coiners, had they not found means to appease
justice by the present of some ingots of purer metal. It is only, how-
ever, upon very rare and extraordinary occasions that the Mongols
get the better of the Chinese. In the ordinaiy course of things,
they are evei7where,*and always, and in eveiy way, the dupes of their
neighbours who by dint of cunning and unprincipled machinations,
reduce them to poverty.

Upon receiving our sapeks, we proceeded to buy the winter
clothing we needed. Upon a consideration of the meagreness of our
exchequer, we came to the resolution that it would be better to pur-
chase what we required at some secondhand shop. In China and
Tartary no one has the smallest repugnance to wear other people's
clothes; he who has not himself the attire wherein to pay a visit
or make a holiday, goes without ceremony to a neighbour and
borrows a hat, or a pair of ti'ousers, or boots, or shoes, or whatever
else he wants, and nobody is at all surprised at these borrowings,
which are quite a custom. The only hesitation any one has in
lending his clothes to a neighbour, is, lest the borrower should sell
them in payment of some debt, or, after using them, pawn them.
People who buy clothes buy them indifferently, new or secondhand.
The question of price is alone taken into consideration, for there is
no more delicacy felt about putting on another man's hat or trousers,
than there is about living in a house that some one else has occupied
before you.

This custom of wearing other people's things was by no means
to our taste, and all the less so, that, ever since our arrival at the
mission of Si- Wang, we had not been under the necessity of de-
parting from our old habits in this respect. Now, however, the
slenderness of our purse compelled us to waive our repugnance.
"VVe went out, therefore, in search of a secondhand clothes shop, of
which, in every town here, there are a greater or less number, for
the most part in connection with pawnshops, called in these
countries Tang-Pou. Those who borrow upon pledges, are seldom
able to redeem the articles they have deposited, which they ac-
cordingly leave to die, as the Tartars and Chinese express it ; or in
other words, they allow the period of redemption to pass, and the
articles pass altogether from them. The old clothes shops of the
Blue Town were filled in this way with Tartar spoils, so that we
had the opportunity of selecting exactly the sort of things we
required, to suit the new costume we bad adopted.

At the first shop we visited they showed us a quantity of
wretched garments turned up with sheep-skin ; but though these

THIBET, AND CHINA. 119

rags were exceedingly old, and so covered with giease that it was
impossible to guess at tlieir original colour, the price asked for
them was exorbitant. After a piotracted haggling, we found it im-
possible to come to terms, and we gave up this first attempt; and we
gave it up, be it added, with a certain degree of satisfaction, for our self-
respect was somew^iat wounded at finding ourselves reduced even to
the proposition of wearing such filthy rags. We visited another shop,
and another, a third, and a fourth, and still several more. We were
shown magnificent garments, handsome garments, fair garments,
endurable garments, but the consideration of expense w^as, in each
instance, an impracticable stumbling-block. The journey we had
imdertaken might endure for several years, and extreme economy,
at all events in the outset, was indispensable. After going about
the whole day, after making the acquaintance of all the rag-mer-
chants in the Blue Town, after turning over and over all their
old clothes, we w^ere fain to return to the secondhand dealer whom
we had first visited, and to make the best bargain we could with
him. We purchased from him, at last, two ancient robes of sheep-
skin, covered with some material, the nature of which it was im-
possible to identify, and the original colour of which we suspected
to have been yellow. We proceeded to try them on, and it was
at once evident that the tailor in making them had by no means
had us in his eye. M. Gabet's robe was too short, j\l. Hue's too
long ; but a friendly exchange was impracticable, the difference in
height between the two missionaries being altogether too dispropor-
tionate. We at first thought of cutting the excess fi-om the one, in
order to make up the deficiency of the other; but then we should
have had to call in the aid of a tailor, and this would have involved
another drain upon our pmse ; the pecuniary consideration decided
the question, and we detei-mined to wear the clothes as they were,
M. Hue adopting the expedient of holding up, by means of a girdle,
the sui-plus of his robe, and M . Gabet resigning liimself to the
exposure to the public gaze of a portion of his legs ; the main
inconvenience, after all, being the manifestation to all who
saw us that we could not attire ourselves in exact proportion
to our size.

Provided with our sheep-skin coats, we next asked the dealer to
show us his collection of secondhand winter hats. We examined
several of these, and at last selected two caps of fox-skin, the elegant
form of which reminded us of the schakos of our sappers. These pur-
chases completed, each of us put under his arm his packet of old
clothes, and we returned to the hotel of the " Three Perfections."

We remained two days longer at Koukou-Khoton ; for, besides
that we needed repose, Ave were glad of the opportunity of seeing

120 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

this gi'eat town, and of becoming acquainted with the numerous and
celebrated Lamaseries established there.

The Blue Town enjoys considerable commercial importance,
which it has acquired chiefly through its Lamaseries, the reputation
of which attracts thither Mongols from the most distant parts of
the empire. The Mongols bring hither large herds of oxen, camels,
horses, sheep, and loads of furs, mushrooms, and salt, the only pro-
duce of the deserts of Tartary. They receive, in return, brick-tea,
linen, saddlery, odoriferous sticks to burn before theh* idols, oatmeal,
millet, and kitchen utensils.

The Blue Town is especially noted for its great trade in camels.
The camel market is a lai'ge square in the centre of the town ; the
animals are ranged here in long rows, their front feet raised upon
a mud elevation constructed for that purpose, the object being
to show off the size and height of the creatures. It is impossible
to describe the uproar and confusion of this market, what with the
incessant bawling of the buyers and sellers as they dispute, their
noisy chattering after they have agreed, and the horrible shrieking
of the camels at having their noses pulled, for the purpose of
making them show their agility in kneeling and rising. In order
to test the strength of the camel, and the burden it is capable of
bearing, they make it kneel, and then pile one thing after another
upon its back, causing it to rise under each addition, until it can
rise no longer. They sometimes use the following expedient:
While the camel is kneeling, a man gets upon its hind heels, and
holds on by the long hair of its hump ; if the camel can rise then,
it is considered an animal of superior power.

The trade in camels is entirely conducted by proxy : the seller
and the buyer never settle the matter between themselves. They
select indifferent persons to sell theii' goods, who propose, discuss,
and fix the price ; the one looking to the interests of the seller, the
other to those of the purchaser. These " sale-speakers" exercise no
other trade; they go from market to market to promote business,
as they say. They have generally a gi-eat knowledge of cattle,
have much fluency of tongue, and are, above all, endowed with a
knavery beyond all shame. They dispute, by turns, furiously and
argumentatively, as to the merits and defects of the animal ; but as
soon as it comes to a question of price, the tongue is laid aside as a
medium, and the conversation proceeds altogether in si^ns. They
seize each other by the wrist, and beneath the long wide sleeve of
their jackets, indicate with their fingers the progress of the bargain.
After the affair is concluded they partake of the dinner, which is
always given by the purchaser, and then receive a certain number
of sapeks, according to the custom of different places.

THIBET, AND CHINA.

1-21

THE CAMEL

In the Blue Town there exist five great Lamaseries, each in-
habited by more than 2,000 Lamas; besides these, they reckon
fifteen less considerable establishments — branches, as it were, of
the former. The number of regular Lamas resident in this city
may fauiy be stated at 20,000. As to those who inhabit the
different quarters of the town, engaged in commerce and horse-
dealing, they are innumerable. The Lamasery of the Five Towers
is the finest and the most famous: here it is that the Hobilgan
lives — that is, a Grand Lama — who, after having been identified
with the substance of Buddha, has already undergone several times
the process of transmigi-ation. He sits here upon the altar once occu-
pied by the Guison-Tamba, having ascended it after a tragical event,
which very nearly brought about a revolution in the emph'e.

The Emperor Khang-Hi, during the great military expedition
which he made in the West against the Oelets, one day, in travers-
ing the Blue Town, expressed a wish to pay a visit to the Guison-
Tamba, at that time the Grand Lama of the Five Towers. The
latter received the Emperor without rising from the throne, or
manifesting any kind of respect. Just as Khang-Hi drew near to
speak to him, a Kian-Kan, or high military Mandarin, indignant
at this unceremonious treatment of his master, di'cw his sabre, fell

122 TRAVELS IN TARTAR Y,

upon the Guison-Tamba, and laid him dead on the steps of his
throne. This terrible event roused the whole Lamasery, and indig-
nation quickly communicated itself to all the Lamas of the Blue
Town.

They ran to arms in every quarter, and the life of the Emperor,
who had but a small retinue, was exposed to the greatest danger.
In order to calm the irritation of the Lamas, he publicly reproached
the Kian-Kan with his violence. " If the Guison-Tamba," an-
swered the Kian-Kan, " was not a living Buddha, why did he not
rise in the presence of the master of the universe? If he was a
living Buddha, how was it he did not know I was going to kill
him ?" Meanwhile the danger to the life of the Emperor became
every moment more imminent ; he had no other means of escape
than that of taking off his imperial robes, and attiring himself in
the dress of a private soldier. Under favour of this disguise, and the
general confusion, he was enabled to rejoin his army, which was
near at hand. The gi-eater part of the men who had accompanied
the Emperor into the Blue Town were massacred, and among the
rest, the murderer of the Guison-Tamba.

The Mongols sought to profit by this movement. Shortly after-
wards it was announced that the Guison-Tamba had re-appeared, and
that he had transmigrated to the country of the Khalkhas, who had
taken him under their protection, and had sworn to avenge his
murder. The Lamas of the Great Kouren set actively to the work
of organization. They stripped off their red and yellow robes,
clothed themselves in black, in memory of the disastrous event
of the Blue Town, and allowed the hair and beard to grow, in
sign of grief. Everything seemed to presage a gi-and rising of the
Tartar tribes. The great energy and rare diplomatic talents of the
Emperor Khang-Hi alone sufficed to arrest its progress. He im-
mediately opened négociations with the Talé- Lama, Sovereign of
Thibet, who was induced to use all his influence with the Lamas
for the re-establishment of order, whilst Khang-Hi was intimidating
the Khalkha kings by means of his troops. Gradually peace
was restored; the Lamas resumed their red and yellow robes; but,
as a memorial of their coalition iïi favour of the Guison-Tamba,
they retained a narrow border of black on the collar of their robes.
Khalkha Lamas alone bear this badge of distinction.

Ever since that period, a Hobilgan has taken the place in the
Blue Town of the Guison-Tamba, who himself is resident at the
great Kouren, in the district of the Khalkhas. Meanwhile, the
Emperor Khang-Hi, whose penetrating genius was always occupied
with the future, was not entirely satisfied with these arrangements.
He did not believe in all these doctrines of transmigration, and

THIBET, AND CHINA. 1S3

clearly saw that the Khalkhas, in pretending that the Gidson-
Tamha had reappeared among them, had no other end than that of
keeping at their disposal a power capable of contending, upon oc-
casion, with that of the Chinese Emperor. To abolish the office of
Guison-Tamba would have been a desperate affair ; the only course
was, whilst tolerating him, to neutralise his influence. It was
decreed, with the concurrence of the Court of Lha-Ssa, that the
Guison-Tamba should be recognised legitimate sovereign of the
great Kouren; but that after his successive deaths, he should
always be bound to make his transmigi'ation to Thibet. Khang-Hi
had good reason to believe that a Thibetian by origin, would
espouse with reluctance the resentments of the Khalkhas against
the Court of Peking.

The Guison-Tamba, full of submission and respect for the orders
of Khang-Hi and of the Talé-Lama, has never failed since that to
go and accomplish his metempsychosis in Thibet. Still, as they
fetch him whilst he is yet an infant, he must necessarily be in
fluenced by those about him ; and it is said, that as he grows up,
he imbibes sentiments little favoiu-able to the reigning dynasty.
In 1839, when the Guison-Tamba made that journey to Peking, of
wliich we have spoken, the alarm manifested by the Court arose
from the recollection of these events The Lamas who flock from
aU the districts of Tartary to the Lamaseries of the Blue Town,
rarely remain there permanently. After taking their degi-ees, as it
were, in these quasi universities, they return, one class of them, to
their own countries, where they either settle in the small Lama-
series, wherein they can be more independent, or live at home
with their families ; retaining of theh' order little more than its red
and yellow habit.

Another class consists of those Lamas who live neither in Lama-
series nor at home with their families, but spend their time vaga
bondizing about like bu'ds of passage, travelling all over their own
and the adjacent countries, and subsisting upon the rude hospitality
which, in Lamasery and in tent they are sure to receive, throughout
their wandering way. Lamasery or tent, they enter without cere-
mony, seat themselves, and while the tea is preparing for their
refreshment, give their hosts an account of the places they have
visited in their rambles. If they think fit to sleep where they are,
they stretch themselves on the floor and repose until the morning.
After breakfast, they stand at the entrance of the tent, and watch
the clouds for a while, and see whence the wind blows ; then they
take their way, no matter whither, by tliis path or that, east or
west, north or south, as their fancy or a smoother turf suggests, and
lounge tranquilly on, sure at least, if no other shelter presents

124

TEAVELS IN TARTARY,

VA.ai.BOND h.VMh.^.

itself Ly-and-by, of the shelter of the cover, as they express it,
of that great tent, the world; aud sure, moreover, having no desti-
nation before them, never to lose their way.

The wandering Lamas visit all the countries readily accessible to
them: — China, Mantchouria, the Khalkhas, the various kingdoms
of Southern Mongolia, the Ourianghai, the Koukou-Noor, the
northern and southern slopes of the Celestial Mountains, Thibet,
India, and sometimes even Turkestan. There is no stream which
they have not crossed, no mountains they have not climbed, no
Grand Lama before whom they have not j)rostrated themselves, no
people with whom they have not associated, and whose customs
and language are imknown to them. Travelling without any end
in view, the places they reach are always those they sought. The
stoiy of the Wandering Jew, who is for ever a wanderer, is
exactly realised in these Lamas. They seem influenced by some
secret power, which makes them wander unceasingly from place to
place. God seems to have infused into the blood which flows in
their veins, something of that motive power which propels them
on their way, without allowing them to stop.

The Lamas living in community are those who compose the

THIBET, AND CHINA. 125

third class. A Lamaseiy is a collection of small bouses built around
one or more Buddhic temples. These dwellings are more or less
large and beautiful, according to the means of the proprietor. The
Lamas who live thus in community, are generally more regular
than the others ; they pay more attention to prayer and study.
They are allowed to keep a few animals ; some cows to ajBFord them
milk and butter, the principal materials of their daily food ; horses ;
and some sheep to be killed on festivals.

Generally speaking, the Lamaseries have endowments, either
royal or imperial. At certain periods of the year, the revenues are
distributed to the Lamas according to the station which they have
obtained in the hierarchy. Those who have the reputation of
being learned physicians, or able fortune-tellers, have often the
opportunity of acquiring possession of the property of strangers;
yet they seldom seem to become rich. A childish and heedless
race, they cannot make a moderate use of the riches they acquire ;
their money goes as quickly as it comes. The same Lama whom
you saw yesterday in dirty, torn rags, to-day rivals in the magnifi-
cence of his attire the gi-andeur of the highest dignitaries of the
Lamasery. So soon as animals or money are placed within his
disposition, he starts off to the next trading town, sells what he has
to sell, and clothes himself in the richest attire he can purchase.
For a month or two he plays the elegant idler, and then, his money
all gone, he rejDairs once more to the Chinese town, this time to
pawn his fine clothes for what he can get, and with the certainty
that once in the Tang-Pou, he will never, except by some chance,
redeem them. All the pawnbrokers' shops in the Tartar Chinese
towns are full of these Lama relics. The Lamas are very numerous
in Tartaiy; we think we may affirm, without exaggeration, that
they compose at least a third of the population. In almost all
families, with the exception of the eldest son, who remains a lay-
man, the male children become Lamas.

The Tartars embrace this profession compulsorily, not of
their own free will ; they are Lamas or laymen from their birth,
according to the will of the parents. But as they gi'ow up, they
grow accustomed to this life; and, in the end, religious exaltation
attaches them strongly to it.

It is said that the policy of the Mantchou dynasty is to increase
the number of Lamas in Tartary; the Chinese Mandarins so as-
sured us, and the thing seems probable enough. It is certain that
the government of Peking, whilst it leaves to poverty and want the
Chinese Bonzes, honours and favours Lamanism in a special
degree. The secret intention of the government, in augmenting
the number of the Lamas, who are bound to celibacy, is to arrest,

126 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

by this means, the progress of the population in Tartary. The
recollection of the former power of the Mongols ever fills its mind ;
it knows that they were formerly masters of the empire, — and in the
fear of a new invasion, it seeks to enfeeble them by all the means
in its power. Yet, although Mongolia is scantily peopled, in com-
parison with its immense extent, it could, at a day's notice, send
forth a formidable army. A high Lama, the Guison-Tamba, for
instance, would have but to raise his finger, and all the Mongols,
from the frontiers of Siberia to the extremities of Thibet, rising as
one man, would precipitate themselves like a torrent wherever their
sainted leader might direct them. The profound peace which they
have enjoyed for more than two centuries, might seem to have
necessarily enervated their warlike character; nevertheless, you
may still observe that they have not altogether lost their taste for
warlike adventures. The great campaigns of Tsing-Kis-Khan,
who led them to the conquest of the world, have not escaped their
memory during the long period of leisure of their nomadic life ;
they love to talk of them, and to feed their imagination with vague
projects of invasion.

During our short stay at the Blue Town we had constant con-
versations with the Lamas of the most celebrated Lamaseries,
endeavouring to obtain fresh information on the state of Buddhism
in Tartary and Thibet. All they told us only served to confirm us
more and more in what we had before learnt on this subject. In
the Blue Town, as at Tolon-Noor, everyone told us that the doctrine
would appear more sublime and more luminous as we advanced
towards the West. From what the Lamas said, who had visited
Thibet, Lha-Ssa was, as it were, a great focus of liglit, the rays of
which grew more and more feeble in proj)ortion as they became
removed from their centre.

One day we had an opportunity of talking with a Thibetian
Lama for some time, and the things he told us about religion as-
tounded us greatly A brief explanation of the Christian doctrine,
which we gave to him, seemed scarcely to surprise him ; he even
maintained that our views differed little from those of the Grand
Lamas of Thibet. " You must not confound," said he, " religious
truths with the superstitions of the vulgar. The Tartars, poor,
simple people, prostrate themselves before whatever they see; every-
thing with them is Borhan. Lamas, prayer books, temples. Lama-
series, stones, heaps of bones, — 'tis all the same to them ; down they
go on their knees, crying, Borhan ! Borlian ! " " But the Lamas
themselves admit innumerable Borhans?" "Let me explain,"
said our friend, smilingly ; " there is but one sole Sovereign of the
universe, the Creator of all things, alike without beginning and

THIBET, AND CHINA. 127

without end. In Dchagar (India) he hears the name of Buddha,
in Thihet, that of Samtche Mitcheba (all Powerful Eternal) ; the
Dcha-Mi (Chinese) call him Fo, and the Sok-Po-Mi (Tartars),
Borhan." " You say that Buddha is sole ; in that ease, who are
the Talé-Lama of Lha-Ssa, the Bandchan of Djachi-Loumho, the
Tsong-Kaha of the Sifan, the Kaldan of Tolon-Noor, the Guison-
Tamba of the Great Kouren, the Hobilgan of Blue Town, the
Hotoktou of Peking, the Chaberon of the Tartar and Thibetian
Lamaseries generally?" "They are all equally Buddha." "Is
Buddha visible?" "No, he is without a body; he is a spiritual
substance." " So, Buddha is sole, and yet there exist innumerable
Buddhas; the Talé-Lama, and so on. Buddha is incorporeal; he
cannot be seen, and yet the Talé Lama, the Guison-Tamba, and
the rest are visible, and have bodies like our own. How do you
explain all this?" "The doctrine, I tell you, is true," said the
Lama, raising his arm, and assuming a remarkable accent of
authority; " it is the doctrine of the West, but it is of unfathomable
profundity. It cannot be sounded to the bottom. *'

These words of the Thibetian Lama astonished us strangely ;
the Unity of God, the mystery of the Incarnation, the dogma of the
Ileal Presence seemed to us enveloped in his creed ; yet with ideas
so sound in appearance, he admitted the metempsychosis, and a
sort of pantheism of which he could give no account.

These new indications respecting the religion of Buddha gave
us hopes that we should really find among the Lamas of Thibet a
symbolism more refined and superior to the common belief, and
confirmed us in the resolution we had adopted, of keeping on our
course westward.

Previous to quitting the inn we called in the landlord, to settle
our bill. We had calculated that tbe entertainment, during fom-
days, of three men and our animals, would cost us at least tjvo
ounces of silver; we were therefore agreeably surprised to hear the
landlord say, " Sirs Lamas, there is no occasion for going into any
accounts ; put 300 sapeks into the till, and that will do very well.
My house," he added, " is recently established, and I want to gjve
it a good character. You are come from a distant land, and I
would enable you to say to your countrymen that my establishment
is worthy of their confidence." We replied that we would eveiy-
where mention his disinterestedness; and that our countrymen,
whenever they had occasion to visit the Blue Town, would certainly
not fail to put-up at the " Hotel of the Three Perfections."

TCHAQAN-KODREN,

CHAPTER VI.

A Tartar-eater— Loss of Arsalan— Great Caravan of Camels— Night Arrival at
Tchagan-Kouren — We are refused Admission into the Inns — We take np our
abode with a Shepherd — Overflow of the Yellow River — Aspect of Tchagan-
Kouren — Departure across the Marshes — Hiring a Bark — Arrival on the
Banks of the Yellow River — Encampment under the Portico of a Pagoda —
Embarkation of the Ci^mels — Passage of the Yellow River — Laborious Journey
across the Inundated Country — Encampment on the Banks of the River.

We quitted the Blue Town on the fourth day of the ninth moon.
We had ah-eady been travelling more than a month. It was with
the utmost difficulty that our little caravan could get out of the
town. The streets were encumbered with men, cars, animals,
stalls in which the traders displayed their goods ; we could only
advance step by step, and at times we were obliged to come to a
halt, and wait for some minutes until the way became a little
cleared. It was near noon before we reached the last houses of the
town, outside the western gate. There, upon a level road, our
camels were at length able to proceed at their ease in all the
fulness of their long step. A chain of rugged rocks rising on our
rioht sheltered us so completely from the north wind, that we did
not at all feel the rigour of the weather. The country through
which we were now travelling was still a portion of Western
Toumet. We observed in all directions the same indications of

TRAVELS IN TAETARY. ] 29

prosperity and comfort which had so much gratified ns east of the
town. Eveiywhere around substantial villages presented proofs of
successful agi'iculture and trade. Although we could not set up our
tent in the cultivated fields by which we were now surrounded, yet,
so far as circumstances permitted, we adhered to our Tartar habits.
Instead of entering an inn to take our morning meal, we seated
ourselves under a rock or tree, and there breakfasted upon some
rolls fried in oil, of which we had bought a supply at the Blue
Town. The passers-by laughed at this rustic proceeding, but they
were not surprised at it. Tartars, unused to the manners of civi-
lised nations, are entitled to take their repast by the roadside even
in places where inns abound.

During the day this mode of travelling was pleasant and con-
venient enough ; but, as it would not have been prudent to remain
out all night, at sunset we sought an inn : the preservation of our
animals of itself sufficed to render this proceeding necessary.
There was nothing for them to eat on the way side, and had we
not resorted in the evening to places where we could purchase
forage for them, they would, of course, have speedily died.

On the second evening after our departure from Blue Town,
we encountered at an inn a very singular personage. We had just
tied our animals to a manger under a shed in the great court, w^hen
a traveller made his appearance, leading by a halter a lean, raw-
boned horse. The traveller was short, but then his rotundity was
prodigious. He wore on his head a great straw hat, the flapping
brim of which rested on his shoulders ; a long sabre suspended
from his girdle presented an amusing contrast with the peaceful
joyousness of his physiognomy. " Superintendent of the soup-
kettle," cried he, as he entered, "is there room for me in your
tavern?" "I have but one travellers' room," answered the inn-
keeper, "and three Mongols who have just come occupy it; you
can ask them if they will make room for you." The traveller
waddled towards us. " Peace and happiness unto you. Sirs Lamas ;
do you need the whole of your room, or can you accommodate me ?"
•' Why not? We are all travellers, and should serve one another."
" Words of excellence ! You are Tartars ; I am Chinese, yet, com-
prehending the claims of hospitality, you act upon the truth, that
all men are brothers." Hereupon, fastening his horse to a manger,
he joined us, and, having deposited his travelling-bag upon the
kang, stretched himself at full length, with the air of a man
greatly fatigued. " Whither are you bound ? " asked we ; *' are you
going to buy up salt or catsup for some Chinese company?"
"No ; I represent a great commercial house at Peking, and I am
collecting some debts from the Tartars. Where ai-e you going ? "

130 TRAVELS IN TARTAR Y,

" We shall to-day pass the Yellow Eiver to Tchagan Koiiren, and
then journey westward through the country of the Ortous."
"You are not Mongols, apparently?" "No; we are from the
West." "Well, it seems we are both of one trade; you, like
myself, are Tartar-eaters." " Tartar-eaters ! What do you mean?"
" Why, we eat the Tartars. You eat them by prayers ; I by com-
merce. And why not? The Mongols ai-e poor simpletons, and we
may as well get their money as anybody else." " You are mistaken.
Since we entered Tartary we have spent a great deal, but we have
never taken a single sapek from the Tartars." " Oh, nonsense !"
" What ! do you suppose our camels and our baggage came to us
from the Mongols?" "Why, I thought you came here to recite
your prayers." We entered into some explanation of the difference
between om* principles and those of the Lamas, for whom the
traveller had mistaken us, and he was altogether amazed at our dis-
interestedness. " Things are quite the other way here," said he.
" You won't get a Lama to say prayers for notliing; and certainly,
as for me, I should never set foot in Tartary but for the sake of
money." " But how is it you manage to make such good meals
of the Tartars?" "Oh, we devour them; we j)ick them clean.
You've observed the silly race, no doubt; whatever they see when
they come into our towns they want, and when we know who they
are, and where we can find them, we let them have goods upon
credit, of course at a considerable advance upon the price, and
upon interest at thirty or forty per cent., which is quite right and
necessary. In China the Emperor's laws do not allow this ; it is
only done with the Tartars. Well, they don't pay the money, and the
interest goes on until there is a good sum owing worth the coming
for. When we come for it, they've no money, so we merely take
all the cattle and sheep and horses we can get hold of for the
interest, and leave the capital debt and future interest to be paid
next time, and so it goes on from one generation to another. Oh !
a Tartar debt is a complete gold mineJ'

Day had not broken when the Yao-Tchang-Ti (exactor of debts)
was on foot. " Sirs Lamas," said he, " I am going to saddle my
horse, and proceed on my way, — I propose to travel to-day with
you." " 'Tis a singular mode of travelling with people, to start
before they're up," said we. " Oh, your camels go faster than my
horse ; you'll soon overtake me, and we shall enter Teh agan-Kouren
(White Enclosure) together." He rode ofi', and at daybreak
we followed him. This was a black day with us, for in it we had
to mourn a loss. After travelling several hours, we perceived that
Arsalan was not with the caravan. We halted, and Samdad-
chiemba, mounted on his little mule, turned back in search of the

TtllBET, AND CHINA. 131

dog. He went through several villages which we had passed in
the course of the morning, but his search was fruitless ; he returned
without having either seen or heard of Arsalan. " The dog was
Chinese," said Samdadehiemba ; "he was not used to a nomadic
life, and getting tired of wandering about over the desert, he has
taken service in the cultivated district. What is to be done? Shall
we wait for him ? " " No, it is late, and we are fai' from White
Enclosure." "Well, if there is no dog, there is no dog; and we
must do without him." This sentimental effusion of Samdad-
chiemba gravely delivered, we proceeded on our way.

At first, the loss of Arsalan grieved us somewhat. We were ac-
customed to see him running to and fro in the prairie, rolling in
the long grass, chasing the grey squirrels, and scaring the eagles
fi'om their seat on the plain. His incessant evolutions served to
break the monotony of the country througb which we were passing,
and to abridge, in some degi-ee, the tedious length of the way.
His office of porter gave him especial title to our regret. Yet, after
the first impulses of sorrow, reflection told us that the loss was not
altogether so serious as it had at first appeared. Each day's ex-
perience of the nomadic life had served more and more to dispel
our original apprehension of robbers. Moreover, Arsalan, under
any circumstances, would have been a very ineffective guard ; for
his incessant galloping about during the day sent him at night into
a sleep which nothing could disturb. This was so much the case,
that every mornrng, make what noise we might in taking down
our tent, loading the camels, and so on, there would Arsalan re-
main, stretched on the grass, sleeping a leaden sleep; and when
tbe caravan was about to start, we had always to arouse him with
a sound kick or two. Upon one occasion, a strange dog made his
way into our tent, without the smallest opposition on the part of
Arsalan, and had full time to devour our mess of oatmeal and a
candle, the wick of which he left contumeliously on the outside of
the tent. A consideration of economy completed our restoration to
tranquillity of mind: each day we had had to provide Arsalan
with a ration of meal, at least quite equal in quantity to tliat which
each of us consumed; and we were not rich enough to have con-
stantly sealed at our table a guest with such excellent appetite,
and whose services were wholly inadequate to compensate for the
expense he occasioned.

We had been informed that we should reach W^hite Enclosure
the same day, but the sun had set, and as yet we saw no signs of the
town before us. By-and-by, what seemed clouds of dust made then*
appearance in the distance, approaching us. By degrees they de-
veloped themselves in the form of camels, laden with western mer-

132

TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

( . I h'u ipp^lttiÇa

..«S - ^_7rl'-->':=^.n»—

THIBET, AND CHINA. 133

caravan consists of at least ten thousand camels." " If that be the
case," said we, " there is no time to be lost : a good journey to
you, and peace," and on we went.

The cameleers had stamped upon their features, almost blackened
with the sun, a character of uncouth misanthropy. Enveloped from
head to foot in goat-skins, they were placed between the humps of
their camels, just like bales of merchandise ; they scarcely con-
descended to turn even their heads round to look at us. Five
months journeying across the desert seemed almost to have bruti-
fied them. AU the camels of this immense caravan wore suspended
from theu' necks Thibetian bells, the silvery sound of which pro-
duced a musical harmony which contrasted very agreeably with
the sullen taciturn aspect of the drivers. In our progress, however,
we contrived to make them break silence from time to time; the
roguish Dchiahour attracted their attention to us in a very marked
manner. Some of the camels, more timid than others, took Mght
at the little mule, which they doubtless imagined to be a wild
beast. In their endeavour to escape in an opposite direction they
drew after them the camels next following them in the procession,
so that, by this operation, the caravan assumed the form of an
immense bow. This abrupt evolution aroused the cameleers from
their sullen torpidity ; they grumbled bitterly, and directed fierce
glances against us, as they exerted themselves to restore the
procession to its proper line. Samdadchiemba, on the contrary,
shouted with laughter ; it was in vain that we told him to ride
somewhat apart in order not to alarm the camels; he turned a deaf
ear to all we said. The discomûtm*e of the procession was quite a
dehghttul entertainment for him, and he made his Httle mule
caracole about in the hope of an encore.

The first cameleer had not deceived us. We journeyed on be-
tween the apparently interminable file of the caravan, and a chain of
rugged rocks, until night had absolutely set in, and even then we
did not see the town. The last camel had passed on, and we seemed
alone in the desert, when a man came riding by on a donkey.
"Elder brother," said we, "is White Enclosure still distant?"
"No, brothers," he lejilied, " it is just before you, there, where you
see the lights. You have not more than five lis to go." Five
lis! It was a long way in the night, and upon a strange road,
but we were fain to resign ourselves. The night grew darker and
darker. There was no moon, no stars even, to guide us on our way.
We seemed advanciug amid chaos and abysses. We resolved to
alight, in the hope of seeing our way somewhat more clearly : the
result was precisely the reverse ; we would advance a few steps
gropingly and slowly ; then, all of a sudden, we threw back our

134 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

heads ill fear of dashing them against rocks or walls that seemed
to rise from an abyss. We speedily got covered with perspiration,
and were only happy to mount our camels once more, and rely
on their clearer sight and surer feet. Fortunately the baggage
was well secured : what misery would it have been had that fallen
off amid all this darkness, as it had frequently done before ! We
arrived at last in TchaganKouren, but the difficulty now was to
find an inn. Every house was shut up, and there was not a living
creature in the streets, except a number of great dogs that ran
barking after us.

At length, after wandering haphazard through several stieets,
we heard the strokes of a hammer upon an anvil. We proceeded
towards the sound, and before long, a great light, a thick smoke,
and sparks glittering in the air, announced that we had come upon
a blacksmith's shop. We presented ourselves at the door, and
humbly entreated our brothers, the smiths, to tell us where we should
find an inn. After a few jests upon Tartars and camels, the com-
pany assented to our request, and a boy, lighting a torch, came
out to act as our guide to an inn.

After knocking and calling for a long time at the door of the
first inn we came to, the landlord opened it, and was inquiring who
we were, when, unluckily for us, one of our camels, worried by a
dog, took it into its head to send forth a succession of those horrible
cries for which the animal is remarkable. The innkeeper at once
shut his door in our faces. At all the inns where we successively
applied, we were received in much the same manner. No sooner
were the camels noticed than the answer was, No room; in point
of fact, no innkeeper, if he can avoid it, will receive camels into his
stables at all : their size occupies great space, and their appearance
almost invariably creates alarm among the other animals; so that
Chinese travellers generally make it a condition with the landlord
before they enter an inn, that no Tartar caravan shall be admitted.
Our guide finding all our efforts futile, got tired of accompanying
us, wished us good night, and returned to his forge.

We were exhausted with weariness, hunger, and thirst, yet
there seemed no remedy for the evil, when all at once we heard the
bleating of sheep. Following the sound, we came to a mud enclosure,
the door of which was at once opened upon our knocking. " Bro-
ther," said we, " is this an inn? " " No, it is a sheep-house. Who
are you ? " " We are travellers, who have arrived here, weaiy and
hungry ; but no one will receive us." As we were speaking, an
old man came to the door, holding in his hand a lighted torch.
As soon as he saw our camels and our costume. " Mendou ! Men-
dou ! " he exclaimed, " Sirs Lamas, enter ; there is room for your

THIBET, AND CHINA. 135

camels in the court, and my house is large enougli for you ; you
shall stay and rest here for several days." We entered joyfulW,
fastened our camels to the manger, and seated ourselves round the
hearth, where already tea was prepared for us. " Brother," said
we to the old man, "we need not ask whether it is to Mongols that
we owe this hospitality. " " Yes, Sirs Lamas," said he, " we are all
Mongols here. We have for some time past quitted the tent, to
reside here; so that we may better cany on our trade in sheep.
Alas ! we are insensibly becoming Chinese ! " " Your manner of
life," returned we, "may have changed, but it is certain that your
hearts have remained Tartar. Nowhere else in all Tchagan-Kouien,
has the door of kindness been opened to us."

Observing our fatigue, the head of the family unrolled some
skins in a corner of the room, and we gladly laid ourselves down to
repose. We should have slept on till the morning, but Samdad-
chiemba aroused us to partake of the supper which our hosts had
hospitably jjrepared — two large cups of tea, cakes baked in the ashes,
and some chops of boiled mutton, arranged on a stool by way of a
table. The meal seemed after our long fasting, perfectly magnificent ;
we partook of it heartily, and then having exchanged pinches of
snufF with the family, resumed our slumber.

Next morning we communicated the plan of our journey to
our Mongol hosts. No sooner had we mentioned that we in-
tended to pass the Yellow River, and thence ti'averse the country
of the Ortous, than the ^yhole family bui'st out with exclama-
tions. " It is quite impossible," said the old man, " to cross
the Yellow Eiver. Eight days ago the river overflowed its
banks, and the plains on both sides are completely inundated."
This intelligence filled us with the utmost consternation. We
had been quite prepared to pass the Yellow Eiver under cir-
cumstances of danger arising from the wretchedness of the
feiTy boats and the difficulty of managing our camels in them,
and we knew, of coui'se, that the Hoang-Ho was subject to
periodical overflows; but these occur orcUnaidly in the rainy
season, towards the sixth or seventh month, whereas we were now
in the diy season, and, moreover, in a peculiarly diy season.

We proceeded forthwith towards the river to investigate the
matter for ourselves, and found that the Tartar had only told us
the exact ti'uth. The Yellow River had become, as it were, a vast
sea, the limits of wliich were scarcely visible. Here and there you
could see the higher grounds rising above the water, like islands,
wliile the houses and villages looked as though they were floating
upon the waves. W^e consulted several persons as to the course
we should adopt. Some said that further progi'ess was imprac-

lo6 TRAVELS IN TAKTARY,

ticable, for that, even where the inundation had subsided, it had,
left the earth so soft and slippery that the camels could not walk
upon it, while elsewhere we should have to dread at every step
some deep pool, in which we should inevitably be drowned. Other
opinions were more favoui'able, suggesting that the boats which
were stationed at intervals for the purpose would easily and cheaply
convey us and our baggage in three days to the river, while the
camels could follow us through the water, and that once at the
river side, the great ferry-boat would carry us all over the bed of
the stream without any difficulty.

What were we to do? To turn back was out of the question.
We had vowed that, God aiding, we would go to Lba-Ssa whatever
obstacles impeded. To turn the river by coasting it northwards
would materially augment the length of our journey, and, moreover,
compel us to traverse the great desert of Gobi. To remain at Tcha-
gan-Kouren, and patiently await for a month the complete retire-
ment of the waters and the restoration of solidity in the roads, was,
in one point of view, the most prudent course, but there was a gi-ave
inconvenience about it. We and our five animals could not live
for a month in an inn without occasioning a most alarming atrophy
in our already meagi-e purse. The only course remaining was to
place oiu*selves exclusively under the protection of Providence, and
to go on, regardless of mud or marsh. Tliis resolution was
adopted, and we returned home to make the necessary prepa
rations.

Tchagan-Kouren is a large, fine town of recent construction.
It is not marked on the map of China compiled by M. Andriveau-
Goujon, doubtless because it did not exist at the time when the
Fathers Jesuits residing at Peking were directed by the Emperor
Khang-Hi to draw maps of the empire. Nowhere in China,
Mantchouria, or in Thibet, have we seen a town like White
Enclosure. The streets are wide, clean, and clear ; the houses
regular in their arrangement, and of very fair architecture. There
are several squares, decorated with trees, a feature which struck
us all the more that we had not observed it anywhere else in this
part of the world. There are plenty of shops, commodiously
arranged, and well supplied with Chinese, and even with European
goods. The trade of Tchagan-Kouren, however, is greatly checked
by the proximity of the Blue Town, to which, as a place of com
merce, the Mongols have been much longer accustomed.

Our worthy Tartar host, in his hospitality, sought to divert us
from our project, but unsuccessfully ; and he even got rallied by
Samdadchiemba for his kindness. "It's quite clear," said our
guide, " that you've become a mere Kitat (Chinese), and think that

THIBET, AND CHINA. 137

a man must not set out upon a journey unless the earth is perfectly
dry and the sky perfectly cloudless. I have no doubt you go out
to lead your sheep with an umbrella in one hand and a fan in the
other." It was ultimately arranged that we should take oin- de-
parture at daybreak next morning.

Meantime we went out into the town to make the necessary
supply of provisions. To guard against the possibility of being
inundation-bound for several days, we bought a quantity of small
loaves fried in mutton fat, and for our animals we procured a
quantity of the most portable forage we could find.

Next morning we departed full of confidence in the goodness of
God. Our Tartar host, who insisted upon escorting us out of the
town, led us to an elevation whence we could see in the distance
a long line of thick vapour which seemed journeying û'om west to
east; it marked the course of the Yellow River. "Where you see
that vapour," said the old man, " you will find a great dike, which
serves to keep the river in bounds, except upon any extraordinaiy
rise of the waters. That dike is now dry ; when you come to it,
proceed along it until you reach the little pagoda you see yonder,
on your right ; there you will find a boat that will convey you
across the river. Keep that pagoda in sight, and you can't lose
your way." We cordially thanked the old man for the kindness he
had shown us and proceeded on our journey.

We were soon up to the knees of the camels in a thick slimy
compost of mud and water, covering other somewhat firmer mud,
over which the poor animals slowly slid on their painful way ; their
heads tm'ning alternately right and left, their limbs trembling, and
the sweat exuding from each pore. Everj^ moment we expected
them to faU beneath us. It was near noon ere we ai-rived at a
little village, not more than a couple of miles from the place where
we had left the old man. Here a few wretched people, whose rags
scarce covered their gaunt frames, came round us, and accompanied
us to the edge of a broad piece of water, portion of a lake, which
they told us, and which, it was quite clear, we must pass before we
could reach the dike indicated by the Tartar. Some boatmen pro-
posed to cany us over this lake to the dike. We asked them how
many sapeks they would charge for the service : — " Oh, very little ;
next to nothing. You see we will take in oui' boats you, and the
baggage, and the mule, and the horse ; one of oiu' people will lead
the camels through the lake ; they are too big to come into the
boat. When one comes to reckon on all this load, and all the
trouble and fatigue, the price seems absolutely less than nothing."
" True, there will be some trouble in the afiair, no one denies it;
but let us have a distinct understanding. How many sapeks do

138 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

you ask?" "Oh, scarcely any. We are all brothers; and you,
brothers, need all our assistance in travelling. We know that; we feel
it in our liearts. If we could only afford it, we should have plea-
sure in caiTying you over for nothing; but look at our clothes.
We poor fellows are veiy poor. Our boat is all we have to depend
upon. It is necessaiy that we should gain a livelihood by that;
five lis sail, three men, a horse, a mule, and luggage ; but come, as
you are spiritual persons, we will only charge you 2,000 sapeks."
The price was preposterous ; we made no answer. We took our
animals by the bridle and tm-ned back, pretending that we would
not continue our journey. Scarcely had we advanced twenty paces
before the ferryman ran after us. " Sirs Lamas, are not you
going to cross the water in my boat?" "Why," said we drily,
" doubtless you are too rich to take any trouble in the matter. If
you really wanted to let your boat, would you ask 2,000 sapeks?"
" 2,000 sapeks is the price I ask; but what will you give?" "If
you like to take 500 sapeks, let us set out at once; it is already
late.'" "Return, Sir Lamas; get into the boat;" and he caught
hold, as he spoke, of the halters of our beasts. We considered that
the price was at last fixed ; but we had scarcely arrived on the
border of the lake, when the ferryman exclaimed to one of his
comrades, — " Come, our fortune deserts us to-day ; we must bear
much fatigue for little remuneration. We shall have to row five
lis, and after all we shall have only 1,500 sapeks to divide between
eight of us." " 1,500 sapeks ! " exclaimed we; " you are mocking
us; we will leave you; " and we turned back for the second time.
Some mediators, inevitable persons in all Chinese matters, pre-
sented themselves, and undertook to settle the fare. It was at
length decided that we should pay 800 sapeks; the sum was
enormous, but we had no other means of pursuing our way. The
boatmen knew this, and took accordingly the utmost advantage of
our position.

The embarkation was effected with extraordinary celerity, and
we soon quitted the shore. Whilst we advanced by means of the
oars, on the surface of the lake, a man mounted on a camel and
leading two others after him, followed a path traced out by a small
boat rowed by a waterman. The latter was obliged every now and
then to sound the depth of the water, and the camel-driver needed
to be very attentive in directing his course in the straight trail left
by the boat, lest he should be swallowed up in the holes beneath
the water. The camels advanced slowly, stretching out their long
necks, and at times leaving only their heads and the extremity of
their humps visible above the lake. We were in continual alarm ;
for these animals not being able to swim, there only needed a false

THIBET, AND CHINA.

139

Step to precipitate them to the bottom. Thanks to the pro-
tection of God, all arrived safe at the dike which had been
pointed out to us. The boatmen, after assisting us to replace, in
a hasty manner, our baggage on the camels, indicated the point
wliither we must direct our steps. "Do you see, to the right,*
that small Miao? (pagoda). A little from the ]\Iiao, do you
observe those wooden huts and those black nets hanging from
long poles ? There you will find the ferry-boat to cross the river.
Follow this dike, and go in peace."

k^,^rW~

NAVIGATION OF THE YELLOW RITÏR.

After having proceeded with difiBculty for half an hour, we
reached the feiTy-boat. The boatmen immediately came to us.
" Sirs Lamas," said they, "you intend, doubtless, to cross the Hoang-
Ho, but you see this evening the thing is impracticable— the sun
is just setting." " You are right; we will cross to-morrow at day-
break : meanwhile, let us settle the price, so that to-morrow we
may lose no time in deliberation." The watermen would have
preferred waiting till the morrow to discuss this important point,
expecting we should offer a much larger sum, when just about to
embark. At first their demands were preposterous : happily, there
were two boats which competed together, othei^v^dse we should have
been mined. The price was ultimately fixed at 1,000 sapeks. The
passage was not long, it is time, for the river had nearly resumed
its bed; but the waters were very rapid, and, moreover, the camels
had to ride. The amount, enormous in itself, appeared, upon the

140 TRAVELS IN TAETARY,

whole, moderate, considering the diflBciilty and trouble of the pas-
sage. This business arranged, we considered how we should pass
the night. We could not think of seeking an asylum in the JSsher-
men's cabins ; even if they had been sufficiently large, we should
have had a considerable objection to place our effects in the hands
of these folks. We were sufficiently acquainted with the Chinese
not to trust to their honesty. We looked out for a place whereon to
set up our tent ; but we could find nowhere a spot sufficiently dry :
mud or stagnant water covered the ground in all dii^ections. About
a hundred yards from the shore was a small Miao, or temple of
idols ; a narrow, high path led to it. We proceeded thither to see
if we could find there a place of repose. It turned out as we wished.
A portico, supported by three stone pillars, stood before the en-
trance door, which was secured by a large padlock. This portico,
made of granite, was raised a few feet from the ground, and
you ascended it by five steps. We determined to pass the
night here.

Samdadchiemba asked us if it would not be a monstrous super-
stition to sleep on the steps of a Miao. When we had relieved his
scruples, he made sundry philosophical reflections. " Behold,"
said he, " a Miao which has been built by the people of the
country, in honour of the god of the river. Yet, when it rained in
Thibet, the Pou-sa had no power to preserve itself from inundation.
Nevertheless, this Miao serves at present to shelter two missionaries
of Jehovah — the only real use it has ever served." Om* Dchiahour,
who at first had scrupled to lodge under the portico of this idola-
trous temple, soon thought the idea magnificent, and laughed
hugely.

After having arranged our luggage in this singular encampment,
we proceeded to tell oiu- beads on the shores of the Hoang-Ho.
The moon was brilliant, and lit up this immense river, which rolled
over an even and smooth bed its yellow and tumultuous waters.
The Hoang-Ho is beyond a doubt one of the finest rivers in the
world ; it rises in the mountains of Thibet, and crosses the Koukou-
Noor, entering China by the province of Kan-Sou. Thence it follows
the sandy regions at the feet of the Alécha mountains, encii'cles
the country of the Ortous ; and after having watered China first
from north to south, and then from west to east, it falls into
the Yellow Sea. The watei'S of the Hoang-Ho, pure and clear
at their source, only take the yellow hue alter having passed
the sands of the Alécha and the Ortous. They are almost,
throughout, level with the lands through which they flow, and
it is this circumstance which occasions those inundations so
disastrous to the Chinese. As for the Tai'tar nomads, when the

THIBET, AND CHINA. 141

waters rise, all they have to do is to strike their tents, and drive
their herds elsewhere.^

Though the Yellow River had cost us so much trouble, we
derived much satisfaction from taking a walk at night upon its
solitaiy banks, and listening to the solemn murmur of its majestic
waters. We were contemplating this gi-and work of nature, when
Samdadchiemba recalled us to the prose of life, by announcing that
the oatmeal was ready. Our repast was as brief as it was plain.
TVe then stretched ourselves on oiu' goat-skins, in the portico, so
that the three described the three sides of a triangle, in the centre
of which we piled our baggage ; for we had no faith at all that the
sanctity of the place would deter robbers, if robbers there were in
the vicinity.

As we have mentioned, the little Miao was dedicated to the
divinity of the Yellow River. The idol, seated on a jîedestal of gi-ey
brick, was hideous, as all those idols are that you ordinarily see in
Cliinese pagodas. From a broad, flat, red face, rose two great
staring eyes, like eggs stuck into orbits, the smaller end projecting.
Thick eyebrows, instead of describing a horizontal line, began at
the bottom of each ear, and met in the middle of the forehead, so
as to form an obtuse angle. The idol had on its head a marine
shell, and brandished, with a menacing air, a sword like a scythe.
This Poa-sa had, right and left, two attendants, each putting out its
tongue, and apparently making faces at it.

Just as we were lying down, a man approached us, holding in
one hand a small paper lantern. He opened the grating which led
to the interior of the Miao, prostrated himself thrice, burned incense
in the censers, and lighted a small lamp at the feet of the idol.
This personage was not a bonze. His hair, hanging in a ti'ess, and
his blue garments, showed him to be a layman. When he had
finished his idolatrous ceremonies, he came to us. ** I will leave
the door open,", said he ; " you'll sleej) more comfortably inside than
in the portico." " Thanks," replied we ; " shut the door, however ;
for we shall do veiy well where we are. Why have you been
burning incense ? Who is the idol of this place?" "It is the

* The bed of the Yellow River has undergone numerous and notable variations.
In ancient times, its mouth was situated in the Gulf of Pe-Tchi-Li, in latitude 39.
At present it is in the 34th parallel, twenty-five leagues from the primitive point.
The Chinese government is compelled annually to expend enonnous sums in keep-
ing the river within its bed and preventing inundations. In 1779, the embank-
ment for this purpose cost no less a sum than ^'1,600,000. Yet, despite these
precautions, inundations are of frequent occurrence ; for the bed of the Yellow
River, in the provinces of Ho-Nan and Kiang-Sou, is higher for 200 leagues than
the plain through which it passes. This bed, continuing to rise, with the quantity
of mud deposited, there is inevitably impending, at no remote period, an awfixl
catastrophe, involving in death and desolation all the adjacent district.

142 TKAVELS IN TARTART,

spirit of the Hoang-Ho, who inhabits this Miao. I have burned
incense before him, in order that our fishing may be productive, and
that our boats may float without danger." "The words you utter,"
cried Samdadchiemba, insolently, " are mere hou-choue (stuff and
nonsense). How did it happen, that the other day when the in
undation took place, the Miao was flooded, and your Pou-sa was
covered with mud?" To this sudden apostrophe the pagan
churchwarden made no answer, but took to his heels. We were
much surprised at this proceeding ; but the explanation came next
morning.

We stretched ourselves on our goat-skins once more, and
endeavoured to sleep, but sleep came slowly and but for a brief
period. Placed between marshes and the river, we felt throughout
the night a piercing cold, which seemed to transfix us to the very
marrow. The sky was pure and serene, and in the morning we
saw that the marshes around were covered with a thick sheet of ice.
We made our preparations for departure, but upon collecting the
various articles, a handkerchief was missing. We remembered that
we had imprudently hung it upon the grating at the entrance of the
Miao, so that it was half in and half out of the building. No per-
son had been near the place, except the man who had come to pay
his devotions to the idol. We could, therefore, without much rash-
ness, attribute the robbery to him, and this explained why he
had made liis exit so rapidly, without replying to Samdadchiemba.
We could easily have found the man, for he was one of the fisher-
men engaged upon the station, but it would have been a fruitless
labour. Our only eflectual course would have been to seize the
thief in the fact.

Next morning, we placed our baggage upon the camels, and
proceeded to the river side, fully persuaded that we had a miserable
day before us. The camels having a horror of the water, it is some-
times impossible to make them get into a boat. . You may pidl
their noses, or nearly kill them with blows, yet not make them
advance a step ; they would die sooner. The boat before us seemed
especially to present almost insurmountable obstacles. It was not
flat and large, like those which generally serve as ferry-boats. Its
sides were very high, so that the animals were obliged to leap
over them at the risk and peril of breaking their- legs. If you
wanted to move a caniage into it, you had first of all to puU the
vehicle to pieces.

The boatmen had already taken hold of our baggage, for the pur-
pose of conveying it into their abominable vehicle, but we stopped
them, " Wait a moment ; we must first try and get the camels in.
If they won't enter the boat, there is no use in placing tlie baggage

THIBET, AND CHINA. 143

in it." ""alienee came your camels, that they can't get into
people's boats'?" " It matters little whence they came; what we
tell you is that the tall white camel has never hitherto consented
to cross any river, even in a flat boat." " Tall camel or short,
flat boat or high boat, into the boat the camel shall go," and so
saying, the ferryman ran and fetched an immense cudgel. '* Catch
hold of the string in the camel's nose," cried he to a companion.
"We'll see if we can't make the brute get into the boat." The
man in the boat hauled at the string ; the man behind beat the
animal vehemently on the legs with his cudgel, but all to no
purpose ; the poor camel sent forth piercing cries, and stretched
out its long neck. The blood flowed fi'om its nostrils, the sweat
fi'om every pore ; but not an inch forward would the creature
move ; yet one step would have placed it in the boat, the sides of
which were touched by its fore legs.

We could not endure the painful spectacle. " No more of this,"
we cried to the ferryman; " it is useless to beat the animal. You
might break its legs or kill it before it would consent to enter your
boat." The two men at once left ofl", for they were tu-ed, the one
of pulling, the other of beating. What were we to do ? We had
almost made up our minds to ascend the banks of the river until
we found some flat boat, when the ferryman all at once jumped up,
radiant with an idea. " We will make another attempt," cried he,
" and if that fails I give the matter up. Take the string gently," he
added, to a companion, " and keep tlie camel's feet as close as ever
you can to the side of the boat." Then, going back for some paces,
he dashed forward with a spring and threw himself with all his
weight upon the animal's rear. The shock, so violent and unex-
pected, occasioned the camel somewhat to bend its fore legs. A
second shock immediately succeeded the first, and the animal, in
order to prevent itself from falhng into the water, had no remedy
but to raise its feet and place them within the boat. This eflected,
the rest was easy. A few pinches of the nose and a few blows
sufficed to impel the hind legs after the fore, and the white camel
was at last in the boat, to the extreme satisfaction of all present.
The other animals were embarked after the same fashion, and we
proceeded on our watery way.

First, however, the ferryman deemed it necessary that the
animals should kneel, so that no movement of theirs on the river
might occasion an overtimi. His proceeding to this eflect was
exceedingly comic. He first went to one camel and then to the
other, pulling now this down, then that. When he approached
the larger animal, the creature, remembering the man's treatment,
discharged in his face a quantity of the gi-ass ruminating within its

144 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

jaws, a compliment which the boatman returned by spitting in the
ammal's face. And the absurdity was, that the work made no pro-
gress. One camel was no sooner induced to kneel down than the
other got up, and so the men went backwards and forwards,
gradually covered by the angry creatures with the green substance,
half masticated and particularly inodorous, which each animal in
turns spat against him. At length, when Samdadchiemba had
sufficiently entertained himself with the scene, he went to the
camels, and, exercising his recognised authority over them, made
them kneel in the manner desired.

We at length floated upon the waters of the Yellow River ; but
though there were four boatmen, their united strength could scarcely
make head against the force of the current. We had effected
about half our voyage, when a camel suddenly rose, and shook the
boat so violently that it was nearly upset. The boatmen, after
ejaculating a tremendous oath, told us to look after our camels and
prevent them from getting up, unless we wanted the whole party to
be engulphed. The danger was indeed formidable. The camel,
infirm upon its legs, and yielding to every movement of the boat,
menaced us with a catastrophe. Samdadchiemba, however, ma-
naged to get quickly beside the animal, and at once induced it to
kneel, so that we were let off with our fright, and in due course
reached the other side of the river.

At the moment of disembarkation, the horse, impatient to be
once more on land, leaped out of the boat, but striking, on its way,
against the anchor, fell on its side in the mud. The ground
not being yet dry, we were fain to take off our shoes, and to carry
the baggage on our shoulders to an adjacent eminence ; there we
asked the boatmen if we should be any great length of time in
traversing the marsh and mud that lay stretched out befoie us.
The chief boatman raised his head, and after looking for a while
towards the sun, said: " It will soon be noon; by the evening you
will reach the banks of the Little River ; to-morrow you will find
the ground dry." It was under these melancholy auspices that we
proceeded upon our journey, through one of the most detestable
districts to be found in the whole world.

We had been told in what direction we were lo proceed; but
the inundation had obliterated every trace of path and even of road,
and we could only regulate our course by the nature of the ground,
keeping as clear as we could of the deeper quagmires, sometimes
making a long circuit in order to reach what seemed firmer gi'ound,
and then, finding the supposed solid turf to be nothing more than
a piece of water, green with stagnant matter and aquatic plants,
liaving to turn back, and, as it were, grope one's way in another

% THIBET, AND CHINA. 145

direction, fearful, at every step, of being plunged into some gulf of
liquid mud.

By-and-by, our animals alarmed and wearied, could hardly
proceed, and we were compelled to beat them severely and to ex-
haust our voices with bawling at them before they would move at
all. The tall gi'ass and plants of the marshes twisted about their
legs, and it was only by leaps, and at the risk of throwing ofiP both
baggage and riders that they could exti'icate themselves. Thrice
did the youngest camel lose its balance and fall ; but on each occa-
sion, the spot on which it fell was providentially dry ; had it stum-
bled in the mud, it would inevitably have been stifled.

On om- way, we met three Chinese travellers, who, by the aid
of long staves, were making their laborious way through the
marshes, cariying their shoes and clothes over their shoulders.
We asked them in what direction we were likely to find a better
road: "You would have been wiser," said they, " had you remained
at Tchagan-Kouren ; foot passengers can scarcely make their way
through these marshes : how do you suppose you can get on with
your camels?" and with this consolatory assurance, they quitted
us, giving us a look of compassion, certain as they were that we
should never get through the mud.

The sun was just setting, when we perceived a Mongol habita-
tion ; we made our way direct to it, without heeding the difficulties
of the road. In fact experience had already taught us that selec
tion was quite out of the question, and that one way was as good
as another in this universal slough. Making circuits merely
lengthened the journey. The Tartars were frightened at our ap-
pearance, covered as we were with mud and perspiration; they
immediately gave us some tea, and generously offered us the hospi-
tality of their dwelling. The small mud house in which they lived,
though built upon an eminence, had been half carried away by the
inundation. We could not conceive what had induced them to fix
their abode in this homble district, but they told us that they were
employed to tend the herds belonging to some Chinese of Tchagan-
Kouren. After resting for a while, we requested information as
to the best route to pursue, and we were told that the river was
only five lis off, that its banks were dry, and that we should find
there boats to carry us to the other side. " When you have crossed
the Paga-Gol," (Little River,) said our hosts, " you may proceed in
peace ; you will meet with no more water to internipt you." We
thanked these good Tartars for their kindness, and resiuned our
jom-ney.

After half an hour's march, we discovered before us a large
extent of water, studded with fishing-vessels. The title. Little

146

TRAVELS IN TARTAEY.

River, may, for anything we know, be appropriate enough under
ordinary circumstances, but at the time of our visit, the Paga-Gol
was a broad sea. We pitched our tent on the bank which, by
reason of its elevation, was perfectly dry, and the remarkable ex-
cellence of the pasturage determined us upon remaining in this
place several days, in order to give rest to our animals, which, since
their departure from Tchagan-Kouren had undergone enormous
fatigue : we ourselves, too, felt the necessity of some relaxation,
after the sufieriugs which these horrible marshes had inflicted
upon us.

■WATERFOWL AND BIRDS OF PASSAGE.

CHAPTER VII.

Mercurial Preparation for the Destruction of Lice — Dirtiness of the Mongols —
Lama Notions about the Metempsychosis — Washing — Regulations of No-
madic Life — Aquatic and Passage Birds — The Yuen-Yang — The Dragon's
Foot — Fishermen of the Paga-Gol — Fishing Party — Fisherman Bit by a Dog
— Kou-Kouo, or St. Ignatius's Bean — Prepai-ations for Departure — Passage of
the Paga-Gol — Dangers of the Voyage — Devotion of Samdadchiemba — The
Prime Minister of the King of the Ortous — Encampment.

Upon taking possession of our post our first business was to exca-
vate a ditch roiu2d the tent, in order that, should rain occur, the
water might he carried into a pond below. The excavated earth
seized to make a mound roimd the tent ; and, within, the pack-
saddles and furniture of the camels formed very comfortable bed-
steads for us. Having made our new habitation as neat as possible,
the next business was to make our persons neat also.

We had now been travelling for nearly six weeks, and still wore
the same clothing we had assumed on oiu- departure. The inces-
sant pricklings with which we were harassed, sufficiently indicated
that om' attire was peopled with the filthy vermin to which the
Chinese and Tartars are familiarly accustomed, but which with
Europeans ai-e objects of horror and disgust, — lice, which of all

148 TRAVELS IN TARTAR Y,

our miseries on our long journey have been the greatest. Hunger
and thirst, fierce winds and piercing cold, wild beasts, robbers,
avalanches, menaced death and actual discomfort, all had been as
nothing compared with the incessant misery occasioned by these
dreadful vermin.

Before quitting Tchagen-Kouren we had bought in a chemist's
shop a few sapeks' worth of mercury. We now made with it a
prompt and specific remedy against the lice. We had formerly
got this receipt from some Chinese, and as it may be useful to
others, we think it right to describe it here. You take half-an-ounce
of mercury, which you mix with old tea-leaves, previously reduced
to paste by mastication. To render this softer, you generally add
saliva, water would not have the same efiect. You must afterwards
bruise and stir it awhile, so that the mercury may be divided
into little balls as fine as dust. You infuse this composition into a
string of cotton, loosely twisted, which you hang round the neck ;
the lice are sui-e to bite at the bait, and they thereupon as surely
swell, become red, and die forthwith. In Cliina and in Tartary you
have to renew this sanitary necklace once a month, for, otherwise,
in these dirty countries you could not possibly keep clear from
vermin, which swarm in every Chinese house and in every Mongol
tent.

The Tartars are acquainted with the cheap and efficacious anti-
louse mixture I have described, but they make no use of it. Ac-
customed fi'om their infancy to live amid vermin, they at last take
no heed whatever of them, except, mdeed, when the number
becomes so excessive as to involve the danger of their being abso-
lutely eaten up. Upon such a juncture they strip off their clothes,
and have a grand battue, all the members of the family and any
fiiends who may have dropped in, taking part in the sport. Even
Lamas, who may be present, share in the hunt, with this distinction,
that they do not kill the game, but merely catch it and tlu-ow it
away ; the reason being, that, according to the doctrine of metem-
psychosis, to kill any living being whatever, is to incur the danger
of homicide, since the smallest insect before you may be the trans-
migration of a man. Such is the general opinion ; but we have
met with Lamas whose views on this subject were more enlight-
ened. They admitted that j)ersons belonging to the sacerdotal
class should abstain from killing animals; but not, said they, in
fear of committing a murder by killing a man transmigrated into
an animal, but because to kill is essentially antagonistic with the
gentleness which should characterise a man of prayer, who is ever
in communication with the Deity.

There are some Lamas who carry this scruple to a point

THIBET, AND CHINA. 149

approaching the pnei-ile, so that as they ride along, they are con-
stantly manœuvring their horses in and out, here and there, in
order to avoid trampling upon some insect or other that presents
itself in their path. Yet say they, the holiest among them occasion
inadvertently, the death, every day, of a gi-eat many living crea-
tures. It is to expiate these involuntaiy murders that they undergo
fasting and penitence, that they recite certain prayers, and that
they make prostrations.

We who had no such scniples, and whose conscience stood upon
a solid hasis as to the transmigration of souls, concocted, as effect-
ively as possihle, our anti-louse preparation, doubling the dose of
mercuiy in our anxiety to kill the greatest practicable number of
the veimin that had been so long tormenting us by day and by
night.

It would have been to little pui*pose merely to kill the present
vermin ; it was necessaiy to withhold any sort of shelter or encou-
ragement fi-om their too probable successors, and the first point,
with this view, was to wash all our under-clothing, which, for some
time past, had not been subjected to any sucli operation. For
nearly two months since our departure, we had been wholly de-
pendent, in all respects, upon ourselves, and this necessity had
compelled us to learn a little of various professions with which we
had been previously unacquainted ; becoming our own tailors and
shoe menders, for example, when clothes or shoes required repairs.
The course of nomadic life now practically introduced us also to
the occupation of washermen. After boiling some ashes and
soaking our linen in the lye, we next proceeded to wash it in an
adjacent pond. One gi-eat stone on which to place the linen when
washed, and another wherewith to beat it while washing, were our
only implements of trade; but we got on very well, for the
softness of the pond water gave every facility for cleansing
the articles. Before long, we had the delight of seeing oiu-
linen once more clean ; and when, having diied it on the gi'ass,
we folded and took it home to our tent, we were quite radiant
with satisfaction.

The quiet and ease which we enjoyed in this encampment,
rapidly remedied the fatigue we had undergone in the marshes.
The weather was magnificent; all that we could have possibly
desired. By day, a gentle, soothing heat ; by night, a sky pure
and serene; plenty of fuel; excellent and abundant pasturage;
nitrous water, which our camels delighted in ; in a word, eveiything
to renovate the health and revive the spirits. Our rule of daily life
may appear odd enougli to some, and perhaps not altogether in
harmony with the regulations of monastic houses, but it was in

150 TKAVELS IN TARTARY,

exact adaptation to the circumstances and wants of our little
community.

Every morning, with the first dawn, before the earliest rays of
the sun struck upon our tent, we rose spontaneously, requiring
neither call-bell nor valet to rouse us. Our brief toilette made,
we rolled up our goat-skins and placed them in a corner ; then we
swept out the tent, and put the cooking utensils in order, for we
were desirous of having everything about us as clean and com
fortable as possible. All things go by comparison in this world
The interior of our tent, which would have made a European
laugh, filled with admiration the Tartars who from time to time
paid us a visit. The cleanliness of our wooden cups, our kettle
always well polished, our clothes not altogether as yet incrusted
with grease ; all this contrasted favourably with the dirt and dis-
order of Tartar habitations.

Having arranged our apartment, we said prayers together, and
then dispersed each apart in the desert to engage in meditation
upon some pious thought. Oh ! little did we need, amid the pro
found silence of those vast solitudes, a printed book to suggest a
subject for prayer ! The void and vanity of all things here below,
the majesty of God, the inexhaustible measures of his Providence,
the shortness of life, the essentiality of labouring with a view to the
world to come, and a thousand other salutary reflections, came of
themselves, without any effort on our parts, to occupy the mind
with gentle musings. In the desert the heart of man is free; he
is subject to no species of tyranny. Far away from us were all
those hollow theories and systems, those Utopias of imaginai y
happiness which men are constantly aiming at, and which as
constantly evade their grasp ; those inexhaustible combinations of
selfishness and self-sufficiency, those burning passions which in
Europe are ever contending, ever fermenting in men's minds and
hardening their hearts. Amid these silent prairies there was
nothing to disturb our tranquil thoughts, or to prevent us from
reducing to their true value the futilities of this world, from appre-
ciating at their lofty worth the things of God and of eternity.

The exercise which followed these meditations was, it must be
admitted, far from mystic in its character ; but it was necessary,
and not wholly without entertainment in its course. Each of us
hung a bag from his shoulders and went in different directions to
seek argols for fuel. Those who have never led a nomadic life
will, of course, find it difficult to understand how this occupation
could possibly develope any enjoyment. Yet, when one is lucky
enough to find, half concealed among the grass, an argol, recom-
mendable for its size and dryness, there comes over the heart a

THIBET, AND CHINA. 151

gentle joj', one of those sudden emotions which create a transient
happiness. The pleasure at finding a fine ai-gol is cognate with
that whicli the hunter feels when he discovers the track of game,
with which the boy regai'ds, his eyes sparkling, the linnet's nest he
has long sought ; with which the fisherman sees quivering at the
end of his line a large fish ; nay, if we may compare small things
with giTat, one might even compai-e this pleasure with the enthu-
siasm of a Leverrier when he has discovered a new planet.

Our sack, once filled with argols, we returned, and piled the
contents with pride at the entrance of the tent ; then we struck a
light and set the fire in movement ; and while the tea was boiling in
the pot, pounded the meal and put some cakes to bake in the
ashes. The repast, it is observable, was simple and modest, but
it was always extremely delicious, first, because we had prepared
it oui'selves, and secondly, because oiu' appetites provided most
efficient seasoning.

After breakfast, while Samdadchiemba was collecting round the
tent the animals which had dispersed in search of pastm-age, we
recited a portion of oui" breviary. Towards noon we indulged in
a brief repose, a few minutes of gentle but sound sleep, never in-
teniipted by nightmare or by unpleasant dreams. This repose
was aU the more necessary that the evenings were prolonged far
into the night. It was always with difficulty that we tore our-
selves fi'om our walks by moonlight on the banks of the river.
During the day all was silent and tranquil around us; but so soon
as the shades of night began to overspread the desert, the scene
became animated and noisy. Aquatic birds, arriving in immense
flocks, difi^Lised themselves over the vai'ious pools, and soon
thousands of shrill cries filled the air with wild haimony. The
cries of anger, the accents of passion, proceeding from those
myriads of migratoiy birds, as they disputed among themselves
possession of the tufts of marsh gi-ass in wliich they desired to
pass the night, gave one quite the idea of a nrmierous people in
all the fuiy of civil war, fighting and clamouring, in agitation and
violence, for some supposed advantage, brief as this eastern night,

Tartary is populated with nomadic bii'ds. Look up when you
may, you ^vill see them floating high in air, the vast battalions
forming, in their systematically capricious ffight, a thousand fantas-
tic outlines, dissipating as soon as formed, forming again as soon
as dissipated, like the creations of a Kaleidoscope. Oh! how
exactly are these migi-ant bh-ds in their place, amid the deserts of
Tartaiy, where man himself is never fixed in one spot, but is con-
stantly on the move. It was veiy pleasant to listen to the distant
hum of these winged bands, wandering about like oiu-selves. As

152 TRAVELS IN TARTABT,

we reflected upon theii' long peregrinations, and glanced in thought
over the countries which their rapid flight must have comj)rehended,
the recollection of our native land came vividly before us. " Who
knows," we would say to each other, " who knows but that among
these birds there are some who have traversed — who have, perhaps,
alighted for awhile in our dear France : who have sought transient
repose and refreshment in the plains of Languedoc, or on the
heights of the Jura. After visiting our own country, they have
doubtless pm'sued their route towards the north of Europe, and
have come hither through the snows of Siberia, and of Upper
Tartary. Oh! if these birds could understand our words, or if
we could speak their tongue, how many questions should we not
put to them!" Alas! we did not then know that for two years more
we should be deprived of all communication with our native land.
The migratory birds which visit Tartary are for the most part
known in Europe; such as wild geese, wild ducks, teal, storks,
bustajcds, and so on. There is one bird which may deserve par-
ticular mention : the Youen-Yang, an aquatic bird frequenting
ponds and marshes ; it is of the size and form of the wild duck,
but its beak, instead of being flat, is round, its red head is sprinkled
with white, its tail is black, and the rest of its plumage a fine
purple ; its cry is exceedingly loud and mournful, not the song of
a bird, but a sort of clear, prolonged sigh, resembling the plaintive
tones of a man under suffering. These birds always go in pairs ;
they frequent, in an especial manner, desert and marshy j^laces.
You see them incessantly skimming over the sm-face of the waters
without the couple ever separating from each other ; if one flies
away, the other immediately follows ; and that which dies first does
not leave its companion long in widowhood, for it is soon consumed
by sorrow and lonesomeness. Youen is the name of the male,
Yang that of the female : Youen-Yang their common denomination.
We remarked in Tartary another species of migratory bird,
which offers various peculiaiities singular in themselves, and per-
haps unknown to naturalists. It is about the size of a quail; its
eyes, of a brilliant black, are encircled by a magnificent ring of
azure ; its body is of ash colour, speckled with black ; its legs,
instead of feathers, are covered with a sort of long, rough hair,
like that of the musk-deer ; its feet are totally different from those
of any other bird; they exactly resemble the paws of the green
lizard, and are covered with scales so hard as to resist the edge of
the sharpest knife. This singular creature, therefore, partakes at
once of the bird, of the quadruped, and of the reptile. The
Chinese call it Loung-Kio (Dragon's Foot). These birds make
their periodical appearance in vast numbers from the north,

TBIBET, AND CHINA. 153

especially after a gi*eat fall of snow. They fly with astonishing
swiftness, and the movement of then- wings makes a loud, rattling
noise, like that of heavy hail.

While we had the charge, in Northern Mongolia, of the little
Christendom of the Valley of Black Waters, one of our Christians,
a skilful huntsman, brought us two of these birds which he had
caught alive. They were excessively ferocious ; no sooner was
your It and extended to touch them, than the hair on theii* legs
bristled ; and if you had the temerity to stroke them, you instantly
were assailed with vehement strokes of the bill. Tlie nature of
these Dragon's Feet was evidently so wild as to preclude the possi-
bility of preserving them alive: they would touch nothing we
offered them. Perceiving, therefore, that they must soon die of
starvation, we determined to kill and eat them ; their flesh was of
agreeable, pheasant-like savour, but terribly tough.

The Tartars might easily take any number of these migratory
birds, especially of the wild geese and ducks, the crowds of which are
perfectly prodigious ; and take them, moreover, without the expen-
diture of a single ounce of powder, by merely laying traps for them
on the banks of the pools, or by surprising them in the night,
amongst the aquatic plants; but as we have before observed, the
flesh of wild creatiu'es is not at all to the taste of the Tartars ;
there is nothing to their palates at all comparable with a joint of
mutton, veiy fat and half boiled.

The Mongols are equally disinchned to fishing ; and accordingly,
the highly productive lakes and poids which one meets with so
frequently in Tartary, have become the property of Chinese specu
lators, who, with the characteristic knavery of their nation, having
first obtained from the Tartar kings permission to fish in their
states, have giadually converted this toleration into a monopoly
most rigorously enforced. The Paga-Gol (Little Eiver), near which
we were now encamped, has several Chinese fishing stations upon
its banks. Tliis Paga-Gol is formed by the junction of two rivers,
which, taking their source from the two sides of a hill, flow in
opposite directions; the one, nmning towards the north, falls into
the Yellow River; the other, proceeding southwards, swells the
cuiTent of another stream, which itself also falls into the Hoang-
Ho ; but at the time of the gi'eat inundations, the two rivers, in
common -«-ith the hill which separates their coui'se, all alike dis-
appear. The overflowing of the Hoang-Ho reunites the two cur-
rents, and that which then presents itself is a large expanse of
water, the breadth of which extends to nearly two miles. At tliis
period, the fish which abound in the Yellow River repair in shoals
to this new basin, wherein the waters remain collected until the

J

154 TEAVELS IX TARTAEY,

commencement of the winter; and during the autumn, this little
sea is covered in all directions with the boats of Chinese fisliermen,
whose habitations for the fishing season are miserable cabins con-
structed on either bank.

During the first night of our encampment in this locality, we
were kept awake by a strange noise, constantly recurring in the
distance : as it seemed to us, the mufiied and irregular roll of
drums ; with day-break the noise continued, but more intermittent
and less loud ; it apparently came from the water. We went out
and proceeded towards the bank of the lake, wliere a fisherman,
who was boiling his tea in a little kettle, supported by three stones,
explained the mystery ; he told us that during the night, all the
fishermen seated in their barks, keep moving over the water, in
all directions, beating wooden drums for the purpose of alarming
the fish, and driving them towards the places wliere the nets are
spread. The poor man whom we interrogated had himself passed
the whole night in this painful toil. His red, swollen eyes and his
drawn face clearly indicated that it was long since he had enjoyed
adequate rest. "Just now," he said, "we have a great deal of
work upon our hands ; there is no time to be lost if we wish to
make any money of the business. The fishing season is very short ;
at the outside not more than three months; and a few days hence
we shall be obliged to withdraw. The Paga-Gol will be frozen,
and not a fish will be obtainable. You see, Sirs Lamas, we have
no time to lose. I have passed all the night hunting the fish
about; when I have drunk some tea and eaten a few spoonfuls of
oatmeal, I shall get into my boat, and visit the nets I have laid
out there westward ; then I shall deposit the fish I have taken in
the osier reservoirs you see yonder; then I shall examine my nets,
and mend them if they need mending; tlien I shall take a brief
repose, and after that, when, the old grandfather (the sun) goes
down, I shall once more cast my nets ; then I shall row over the
water, now here, now there, beating my drum, and so it goes on."
These details interested us, and as our occupations at the moment
were not very urgent, we asked the fisherman if he would allow us
to accompany him when he went to raise his nets. " Since per-
sonages like you," answered he, " do not disdain to get into my
poor boat and to view my unskilful and disagreeable fishing, I
accept the benefit you propose." Hereupon we sat down in a corner
of his rustic hearth to wait until he had taken his repast. The
meal of the fisherman was as short as the preparations for it had
been hasty. When the tea was sufficiently boiled, he poured out a
basin full of it; threw into this a handful of oatmeal, wliich he
partially kneaded with his fore finger ; and then, after having

THIBET, AND CHINA. 155

pressed it a little, and rolled it into a sort of cake, he swallowed it
%A-ithout any other preparation. After having three or foiu' times
repeated the same operation, the dinner was at an end. This
manner of living had nothing in it to excite our cm-iosity; having
adopted tlie nomad way of living, a sufficiently long' experience
had made it familiar to us.

We entered his small hoat and proceeded to enjoy the pleasure
of fishing. After having relislied for some moments the delight of
a quiet sail on the tranquil water, smooth and unbroken as glass >

'É

^

FISKISG PAKTT.

tlu'ough troops of cormorants and wild geese, which were disporting
on the surface of the expanse, and which, half running, half flying,
made a fi'ee passage for us as we advanced, we reached the place
where the nets lay. At intervals we saw pieces of wood floating on
the water, to which the nets were attached which rested at the bot-
tom. When we drew them up we saw the fish glitter as they
straggled in the meshes. These fish were generally large, but the
fisherman only kept the largest; those that were under half a
pound he tlirew back into the water.

After having examined a few of the nets, he stopped to see if
the hawl had baen productive. Already the two wells, constructed

l5Ô TRAVELS IN TARTART,

at the extremities of the boat, were nearly full. " Sirs Lamas,' said
the fisherman, " do you eat fish? I will sell you some if you please."
At this proposition, the two poor French missionaries looked at
each other without saying a word. In that look you might see
that they were by no means averse from trying the flavour of the
fish of the Yellow River, but that they dared not, a sufficient reason
keeping them in suspense. '* How do you sell your fish ? " " Not
dear; eighty sapeks a pound." "Eighty sapeks ! why that is
dearer than mutton." " You speak the words of truth; but what
is mutton compared with the fish of the Hoang-Ho ? " " No matter ;
it is too dear for us. We have still far to go ; our purse is low,
we must economize." I'he fisherman did not insist; he took his
oar, and dii'ected tlie boat towards those nets which had not yet
been drawn up fiom the water. " For what reason," asked we " do
you throw back so much fish? Is it because the quality is in
ferior?" " Oh, no; all the fish in the Y^ellow River are excellent,
these are too small, that is all." " Ah, just so; next year they will
be bigger. It is a matter of calculation ; you refrain now, so that
in the end you may get more by them." The fisherman laughed. " It
is not that," he said ; "we do not hope to re-capture these fish.
Every year the basin is filled with fresh fish, brought hither by the
overflowings of the Hoang-Ho; there come great and small; we
take the first; and the others we throw back, because they do not
sell well. The fish here are very abundant. We are able to select
the best .... Sii s Lamas, if you like to have these little fish, I
will not throw them back." The offer was accepted, and the small
fry, as they came, were placed in a little basket. Wlienthe fishing
was over, we found ourselves possessors of a very respectable
supply of fish. Before leaving the boat, we washed an old basket,
and having deposited our fish in it, we marched in triumph
to the tent. " Where have you been ? " exclaimed Samdadchiemba,
as soon as he saw us ; " the tea is now boiled, and it soon gets cold :
I have boiled it up again ; it has again got cold." " Pour out some
of your tea," answered we. " We will not have oatmeal to-day,
but some fresh fish. Place some loaves under the ashes to bake."
Our prolonged absence had put Samdadchiemba in an ill humour.
His forehead was more contracted than usual, and his small black
eyes flashed with displeasure. But when he beheld in the basket
the fish which were still in motion, his face relaxed into a smile, and
his countenance insensibly grew more cheerful. He opened smihngly
the bag of flour, the strings of which were never untied except on rare
occasions. Whilst he was busily occupied with the pastry, we took
some of the fish, and proceeded to the shores of a lake at a short
distance from the tent. We had scarcely got there, when Samdad-

THIBET, AND CHINA. 157

cliiemba ran to us with all his might. He drew aside the four
corners of the cloth which contained the fish, " What are you
going to do ? " said he, with an anxious air. " We are going to
cut open and scale this fish." " Oh, that is not well ; my sj^iritual
fathers, wait a little ; you must not transgress thus." " What are you
talking about? Who is committing a sin?" "Why, look at these
fish; they are still moving. You must let them die in peace,
before you open them: is it not a sin to kill a living creature?"
" Go make your bread and let us alone. Are we always to be pestered
with your notions of metempsychosis ? Do you still think that men
are transformed into beasts, and beasts into men ? " The lips of
our Dchiahour opened for a long laugh. " Bah ! " said he, striking
his forehead, " what a thick head I have ; I did not think of that; I
had forgotten the doctrine," and he returned not a little ashamed
at having come to give us such ridiculous advice.

The fish were fried in mutton fat, and we found them exquisite.
In Tartary and in the noith of China, the fishing continues to
the commencement of winter, when the ponds and rivers are frozen.
At that time they expose to the air, in the night, the fish they have
kept alive in the reservoirs ; these immediately freeze, and may be
laid up without trouble. It is in this state that they are sold to
the fishmongers. During the long winters of the northern part of
the empire, the wealthy Chinese can always, by this means, procure
fresh fish ; but great care must be taken not to make too large a
prox'ision of them to be consumed during the time of the great
frosts, for on the first thaw the fish become putrid.

During our few days' rest, we considered the means of crossing
the Paga-Gol. A Chinese family having obtained from the King
of the Ortoiis the privilege of conveying travellers across, we were
obliged to address ourselves to the master of the boat. He had
undertaken to conduct us to the other side, but we had not yet
agreed about the fare ; he required upwards of 1,000 sapeks. The
sum appeared to us exorbitant, and we waited.

On the third day of our halt, we perceived a fisherman comirg
towards our tent, dragging himself along with gi'eat difiBculty by
the aid of a long staff. His pale and extremely meagre face, showed
that he was a man in suffering. As soon as he had seated himself
beside our hearth, *' Brother," said we, "it seems that your days are
not happy." " Ah," said he, " my misfortune is gieat, but what am I
to do ? I must submit to the irrevocable laws of heaven. It is
now a fortnight since, as I was going to visit a Mongol tent, I was
bitten in the leg by a mad dog ; there has been formed a wound
which grows larger and mortifies day by day. They told me that
you were from the Western Heaven, and 1 am come to you. The

158 TRAVELS IN TAETAEY,

men of the Western Heaven, say the Tartar Lamas, have an un-
limited power. .'With a single word they are able to cure the most
grievous disorders." " They have deceived you, when they said we
had such great j)owers ; " and hereupon we took occasion to eluci-
date to this man the great truths of the faith. But he was a Chinese,
and, like all his nation, but little heedful of religious matters. Our
words only glanced over his heart; his hurt absorbed all his
thoughts. We resolved to treat his case with the Kou-Kouo,. or
bean of St. Ignatius. This vegetable, of a brown or ashy colour,
and of a substance which resembles horn, extremely hard, and of
intolerable bitterness, is a native of the Philijjpine Isles. The
manner of using the Kou-Kouo is to bruise it in eold water, to
which it communicates its bitterness. This water, taken inwardly,
modifies the heat of the blood, and extinguishes internal inflamma-
tion. It is an excellent specific for all sorts of wounds and con-
tusions, and, enjoying a high character in the Chinese Materia
Medica, is sold in all chemists' shops. The veterinary doctors also
apply it with great success to the internal diseases of cattle and
sheep. In the north of China we have often witnessed the salutary
effects of the Kou- K ouo.

We infused the powder of one of these beans in some cold water,
with which we washed the poor man's wound, and we supplied some
(îlean linen, in place of the disgustingly dirty rags which previously
served for a bandage. When we had done all we could for the
sufferer, we observed that he still seemed very embarrassed in his
manner. His face was red with blushes, he held down his eyes,
and he began several sentences which he could not complete.
" Brother," said we, " you have something on your mind." " Holy
personages, you see how poor I am ! you have tended my wound,
and you have given me a great mug of healing water to take ; I
know not what I can offer in exchange for all this." " If this be
the subject of your uneasiness," said we, " be at once reassured. In
doing what we could for your leg, we only fulfilled a duty com-
manded by our religion. The remedies we have prepared, we
freely give you." Our words evidently relieved the poor fisherman
from a very grave embarrassment. He immediately prostrated
himself before us, and touched the ground thrice with his forehead,
in token of his gratitude. Before withdrawing, he asked us whether
we intended to remain where we were for any length of time. We
told him that we should gladly depart the next day, but that we had
not as yet agreed with the ferryman as to the fare. " I have a boat,"
said the fisherman, " and since you have tended my wound, I wiU
endeavour to-morrow, to convey you over the water. If my boat
belonged entirely to myself, I would at once undertake the matter ;

TFIIBET, AND CHINA. 159

but as I liave tvro pavtners, I must first get their consent. More-
over, we must procure some particulars as to our course ; we
fishermen are not acquainted with the depth of water at all the
points of the passage. There are dangerous places here and there,
which we must ascertain the exact nature and locality of before-
hand, so that we may not incur some misfortune. Don't say
anything more about the matter to the feriy people. I will
come back in tlie course of tlie evening, and we will talk over
subject."

These words gave u-s hopes of being able to continue our journey,
without too heavy an outlay for the river passage. As he had
promised, the fisherman returned in the evening. " My partners,"
said he, "were not at first willing to undertake this job, because it
would lose them a day's fishing I promised that you would give
them 400 sapeks, and so the aifair was arranged. To-moiTow we
will make inquiries as to the best course to follow on the river.
Next morning, before sun-rise, fold your tent, load yoiu' camels,
and come do\vn to the river side. If you see any of the feriy ]3eople,
don't tell them you are going to give us 400 sapeks. As they have
the sole right of cariying passengei-s for hire, they might prosecute
lis for carrying you, if they knew you had paid us anything."

At the appointed hour, we proceeded to the fisherman's hut.
In a minute the baggage was packed in the boat, and the two
missionaries seated themselves beside it, attended by the boatman
whose woimd they had cured. It was agreed that a young com-
panion of his should ride the horse across tlie shallows, lead-
ing the mule, while Samdadchiemba, in like manner, was to con-
duct the camels over. When all was ready we started, the boat
following one coiu'se, the horses and camels another, tor the latter
were obliged to make long circuits in order to avoid the deeper
parts of the river.

The navigation was at first very pleasant. "We floated tran-
quilly over the bioad surface of the waters, in a small skiff, jiro-
pelled.by a single man with two light sculls-. The jileasure of this
water party, amid the deserts of Mongolia, was not, however, of
long dui-atiou The poetry of' the thing, soon at an end, was suc-
ceeded by some very doleful prose. We were advancing gently
over the smooth water, vaguely listening to the measured dips of
the sculls, when, all of a sudden, we were aroused by a clamour
behind, of which the shrieks of the camels constituted a prominent
share. We stopped, and, looking round, perceived that horse,
mule, and camels were struggling in the water, without making
any onward progress. In the general confusion we distinguished
Samdadcliiemba flourishing his arms, as if to recal us. Uur boat-

J 60 TRAVELS IN TARTAEY,

man was not at all disposed to accept the invitation, reluctant as
lie was to quit the easy current he had found; but as we insisted,
he turned back, and rowed towards the other party.

Samdadchiemba was pui-ple with rage. As soon as we came up
to him, he furiously assailed the boatman with invectives : " Did
you want to drown us," bawled he, " that you gave us for a guide
a fellow that doesn't know a yard of the way. Here are we amid
gulfs, of which none of us know the depth or extent." The ani-
mals, in fact, would neither advance nor recede ; beat them as you
might, there they remained immovable. The boatman hurled
maledictions at his partner : " If you did not know the way, what
did you come for? The only thing to be done now is- to go back to
the hut, and tell your cousin to get on the horse ; he'll be a better
guide than you."

To return for a better guide was clearly the safest coin-^e, but
this was no easy matter ; the animals had got so frightened at find-
ing themselves surrovmded with such a body of water, that they
would not stir. The young guide was at his wits' end ; it was in
vain that he beat the horse, and pulled the bridle this way and
that; the horse strugg'ied and sjilashed up the water, and that was
all ; not an inch would it move, one way or the other. The young
man, no better horseman than guide, at last lost his balance and
fell into the water ; he disappeared for a moment, to our increased
consternation, and then rose at a little distance, just where he
could stand and have his head above water. Samdadchiemba
grew furious, but at last, seeing no other alternative, he quietly
took off all his clothes as he sat on the camel, threw them into the
boat, and slipped down the camel's side into the stream. " Take
that man into your boat," cried he to our boatman; " I'll have
nothing more to do with him. I'll go back and find some one who
can guide us properly." He then made his way back through the
water, which sometimes rose up to his nec-k, leading the animals,
whose oonfidenie returned when they saw themselves preceded by
the Dchiahour.

Om' hearts were filled] with gratitude at observing the devo-
tion and courage of this young neophyte, who, for our sakes, had
not hesitated to plunge into the water which, at that season, was
lutterly cold. We anxiously followed him with our eyes until we
saw him close upon the shore. " You may now," said the boat-
man, *' be quite at your ease,; he will find in my hut a man who
will guide him, so as to avoid the least danger."

We proceeded on our way, but the navigation was by no means
so agreeable as before; the boatman could not find again the clear
path on the waters which he was pureuing when we returned to

THIBET, AND CHINA, IGl

aid Samdadchiemba; and hampered with aquatic plants, the vessel
made but very slow progress. We tried to mend matters, by
turning to the right and then to the left, but tlie difficulty only
gi'ew gTeater; the water was so shallow that the boat, in its la-
boured advance, turned up the mud. We were compelled ourselves
to take the sculls, while the boatman, getting into the water and
jmssing across his shoidders a rope, the other end of which was
tied to the boat, tried to pull us along. We applied our united
efforts to the task of moving the vessel, but all in vain ; it scarcely
advanced a foot The boatman at last resumed his seat and folded
his arms in utter despair : " Since we cannot get on by ourselves,"
said he, " we must wait here until the passage-boat comes up, and
then follow in its course." We waited.

The boartman was evidently altogether disconcerted ; he loudly
reproached himself for having undertaken this laborious business ;
while we, on our pai'ts, were angry with ourselves for having per-
mitted a consideration of economy to deter us from proceeding with
the ferry-boat. We should have got into the water and waded to
the shore, but, besides the difficulty connected with the baggage, the
undertaking was dangerous in itself. The ground was so irregular
that, while at one moment you j^assed through water so shallow
that it would scarcely float the boat, in the next moment you came
to a hole, deep enough to drown you three times over.

It was near noon when we saw three passage-boats passing us,
which belonged to the family who enjoyed the monopoly of the
ferry. After having, with infinite labour, extricated ourselves from
the mud and attained the channel indicated by these boats, we
were qidetly following their course when they stopped, evidently
awaiting us. We recognised the person with whom we had tried
to bargain for our passage over, and he recognised us, as we could
easily perceive by the angry glances which he directed against us.
"You tortoise-egg," cried he to our boatman, "what have these
western men given you for the passage? They must have handed
over a good bagful of sapeks to have induced you to trespass upon
my rights ! You and I will have a little talk about the matter, by-
and-by ; be sure of that." " Don't answer him," whispered the
boatman to us ; then raising his voice and assuming an air of
virtuous indignation, he cried to the ferryman : " What do you
mean ? You don't know what you're talking about. Consult the
dictates of reason, instead of getting into a fury about nothing.
These Lamas have not given me a sapek ; they have cm-ed my leg
with one of their western specifics, and do you mean to say that
in gratitude for such a benefit I am not to carry them over the
Paga-Gol? My conduct is perfectly right, and in conformity with

102 TRAVKLS IX TARrARY,

religion." The ferryman grumbling between liis teetli, pretended to
accept the statement thus made.

This little altercation was succeeded by profound silence on
both sides. While the flotilla was, peaceably advancing, pursuing
the thread of a narrow current, just wide enough to admit the pas-
sage of a boat, we saw galloping towards us, along the shallows, a
horseman whose rapid progress dashed aside the water in all
directions. As soon as he came within call he stopped short:
" Make haste," cried he, " make haste ; lose no time, row with all
your might! The Piime Minister of the King of the Ortous is
yonder on the prairie with his suite, waiting the arrival of your
boat. Row quickly." He who spoke was a Tartar Mandarin, his
rank being indicated by the blue button which surmounted his
hair cap. After issuing his orders he turned round, whipped his
horse, and galloped back the same way he had come. When he
was out of sight, the murmurs which his presence had restrained
burst out. " Here's a day's labour marked out ! A fine thing,
truly, to be employed by a Mongol Toudzelaktsi (Minister of State),
who'll make us row all day, and then not give us a single sapek for
our pains." "As to that, it need not so much matter; but the
chances are that this Tcheou-ta-dze will break every bone in our
bodies into the bargain." " Well, row away, it can't be helped ;
after all, we shall have the honour of ferrying over a Toudzelaktsi."
This little piece of insolence excited a laugh,, but the prevalent
expression was that of fuiious invective against the Mongol
authorities.

Our boatman remained silent; at last he said to us : " This is a
most unfortunate day for me. I shall be obliged to carry some of
this Toudzelaktsi's suite perhaps to Tchagan-Kouren itself. I am
by myself, I am ill, and my boat ought this evening to be engaged
in fishing." We were truly afiiicted at this nnlucky turn of aflairs,
feeling as we did that we were the involuntary occasion of the poor
fisherman's misfortune. We knew very well that it was no trifling
matter to be called into the service, in this way, of a Chinese or
Tartar Mandarin, for whom every thing must be done at once, un
hesitatingly and cheerfully. No matter what may be the difliculties
in the way, that which the Mandarin desires must be done. Knowing
tlie consequences of the meeting to our poor boatman, we determined
to see what we could do to relieve him from the dilemma. " Brother,"
said we, "do not be uneasy; the Mandarin who awaits the passage-
boats is a Tartar, the minister of the king of this country. We will
endeavour to manage matters for you.. Go very slowly, stop now
and then ; while we are in your boat no one, attendants, Mandarins,
not even the Toudzelaktsi himself will venture to say a word tc» you."

THIBET, A:vD china.

163

We stopped short iu our course, and meanwhile the three passa ge-
hoats reached the lanchug-place where the Mongol authorities were
waiting lor them. Soon two Mandarins, with the blue button,-
galloped towards us: "What are you stopping there for?" cried
they. " Why do you not come on ?" We intei"posed : " Brother
Mongols," said we, " request your master to content himself with
the three boats already at the shore. This man is ill, and has been
i-owing a long time; it would be cruel to prevent him from resting
himself awhile." " Be it as you desire. Sirs Lamas," rejilied the
horsemen, and they galloped back to the Toudzelaktsi.

We then resumed om' course, but very slowly, in order to give
time for every person to embark before we reached the shore. By-
and-by, we saw the tln-ee ferry-boats returning, filled with Mandarins
and tlieh attendants ; the horses were fording the river in another
direction, under the guidance of one of the boatmen. As the party
apjn-oached, our boatman grew more and more alraid ; he did not
venture to raise his eyes, and he scarcely breathed. At last the
boats were level with each other ; " Sirs Lamas," cried a voice, '• is
peace with you?" The red button in the cap of the speaker, and
the richness of his embroidered dress, indicated that it was the
prime minister who addressed to us this Tartar compliment.
"Toudzelaktsi of the Ortous," replied we, "our progress is slow,
but it is favourable ; may peace also attend you." After a few other
civilities, required by 'J'artar forms, we proceeded on our way.
When we had attained a safe distance from the Mandarins, our
boatman was perfectly relieved; we had extricated him from a most
serious difficulty. The ferry-boats, it was probable, would be engaged
at least three days in their gratuitous labour, for the Toudzelaktsi
not choosing to travel across the marshes, the boats would have to
convey him down the Yellow Pdver all tlie way to Tchagan-Kouren.

After a long, laborious, and dangerous passage, we reached the
other side of the waters. Samdadchiemba had arrived long before
us, and was awaiting us on the margin of the stream. He was
still naked, as to clothes, but then he was covered well nigh up to
the shoulders with a thick layer of mud, which gave him a negro
aspect. In consequence of the extreme shallowness of the water,
the boat could not get within thirty feet of the shore. The boatmen
who preceded us had been obliged to carry the Mandarins and their
attendants on their shoulders to the boats. We did not choose to
adopt the same process, but rather to make use of the animals for
om- disembarkation. Samdadchiemba accordingly brought them
close to the boat; M. Gabet got on the horse, M. Hue on the mule,
and so we reached the shore, ^Yithout having occasion to employ
any person's shoulders.

164

TKAVELS IN TAETARY.

The sun was just about to set. We would willingly have en
camped at once, for we were exhausted with hunger and fatigue,
but we could not possibly do so, for we had, they told us, fully two
lis to journey before we should get out .of the mud. We loaded our
camels, therefore, and proceeded onward, completing the miserable
day in pain and suffering. Night had closed in before we came to
a place where we could set up our tent ; we had no strength left for
preparing the usual meal, so drinking some cold water, and eating
a few handfuls of millet, we lay down, after a brief pi-ayer, and fell
into a deep slumber.

ELECTION or A LIVING BUDDHA,

CHAPTER YIII.

Glance at the Country of the Ortous-Cultivated Lands-Sterile, sandy steppes of
the Ortuus-Form of the Tartar-Mongol Government— ^oblllty-Slavery—
A small Lamasery-Election and Enthronization of a Living Buddha-Dis-
cipline of the Lamaseries-Lama Studies-Violent Stom-Shelter m some
Artificial Grottoes-Tartar concealed in a Cavern-Tartaro-Chniese Anecdote
.-Ceremonies of Tartar Marriages— Polygamy— Divorce— Character and
Costume of the Mongol Women.

The sun was already yery high when we rose. On leaving the
tent we looked round us, in order to get acquainted with this new
countiT, wliich the darkness of the preceding evening had not
aUowed us to examine. It appeared to us dismal and and ; hut we
were happy, on any terms, to lose sight of bogs and swamps. We
had left behind us the Yellow River, with its overflowmg waters.
and entered the sandy steppes of Ortous.

The land of Ortous is divided into seven banners ; it extends a
hundi-ed leagues from east to west, and seventy Irom south to
north. It is sm-rounded by the Yellow River on the west, east
and north, and by the Gieat Wall on the south. Tins country
has been subjected, at all periods, to the influence of the political
revolutions, by which the Chinese empii-e has been agitated. Ihe

3 66 TEAVELS IN TARTARY,

Chinese and Tartar conquerors have taken possession of it in turns,
and made it the theatre of sanguinary wars. During the tenth,
eleventh, and twelfth centuries, it remained under the sceptre of
the kings of Hia, who derived their origin from the Thou-Pa
Tartars of the land of Si-Fan. The capital of their kingdom,
called Hia-Tcheou, was situated at the foot of the Alécha moun-
tains between the Hoang-Ho and the Great Wall, At present,
this town is called Ning-Hia, and belongs to the province Kan-Sou.
In 1227 the kingdom of Hia, and afterwards Ortous, were involved
in the common desolation by the victories of Tchingghis-Khan,
founder of the Tartar dynasty of the Youen.

After the expulsion of the Tartar Mongols by the Ming, the
Ortous fell under the power of the Khan of the Tchakar. When
the latter submitted to the Mantchou conquerors in 1635, the
Ortous followed his example, and were reunited to the empire as
a tributary people.

The Emperor Khang-Hi resided for some time among the
Ortous in 1696, when he was on his expedition against the Eleuts;
and this is what he wrote of this people in a letter to the prince,
his son, who had remained at Peking: — " Till now, I never had at
all an accurate idea respecting the Ortous : they are a very civilised
nation, and have lost nothing of the old manners of the tme
Mongols. All their princes live in perfect union among them-
selves, and do not know the difference between mme and thiiie.
No one ever heard of a thief amongst them, although they take
not the slightest precaution for guarding their camels and horses.
If by chance one of these animals goes astray, it is taken care of
by him who finds it, till he has discovered its owner, to whom he
restores it, without the least payment. The Ortous are extremely
skilful in breeding cattle; most of their horses are tame and tract-
able. The Tchakars, north of the Ortous, enjoy the reputation of
ti'aining them with more care and success ; nevertheless, I believe
that the Ortous excel them in tliis point. Notwithstanding these
advantages, tliey are not at all so rich as the other Mongols."

This quotation, which we take from the Abbé Grosier, is in
every point conformable with what we ourselves were able to
observe among the Ortous; so that, since the time of the Emperor
Khang-Hi, this people has not at all changed in its manners.

The aspect of the country through which we travelled on the
first day of our journey seemed affected by the vicinity of the
Chinese fishermen, who reside on the banks of the Yellow Piiver.
We saw here and there cultivated grounds, but there can be nothing
more wretched and bare looking than this cultivation, except, per-
haps, the cultivator himself. These miserable agi'iculturists are a

THIBET, AND CHINA. 167

mixed people, half Chinese, half Tartars, but possessing neither
the industr}' of the former, nor the frank and simple manners of
the latter. They live in houses, or rather in dirty sheds Luilt of
branches intertwined, nidely covered with mud and cow's excrement.
Thirst obliging us to enter one of these habitations to ask for some
water, w^e were able to convince ourselves that the interior did not
in any way contradict the misery which appeared outside. Men
and animals live together higgledy-piggledy in these abodes, which
ai-e far inferior to those of the Mongols, where, at least, the air is
not infected by the presence of cattle and sheej:).

The sandy soil, which is cultivated by these poor people, beyond
a little buck-wheat and millet, produces only hemp, but this is very
large and abundant. Though, when we were there, the crop was
already gathered in, we could nevertheless judge of the beauty of
its stem fi'om what remained in the fields. The farmers of Ortous
do not pull up the hemp whem it is ripe, as is done in Cliina ; they
cut it off above the ground, so high as to leave a stump of about
an inch in diameter. It was accordingly great toil for our camels
to traverse those vast fields of hemp; the stumps, occurring at
every step beneath their large feet, compelled them to execute all
sorts of fantastic movements, which would have excited our mirth,
had we not been fearful of seeing them wounded. However, that
wliich so impeded our camels proved of gi'eat use to oiu'selves.
When we had set up our tent, these stumps fm'nished us with a
ready and abundant fuel.

We soon entered once more the J^and of Grass, if, indeed, one
can give this name to such a ban-en, arid country as that of
the Ortous. Wherever you turn you find only a soil, bare, and
without verdure; rocky ra\'ines, marly hills, and plains covered
with a fine, moving sand, blown by the impetuous winds in every
direction ; for pasture, you will only find a few thorny bushes and
ptoor fern, dusty and fetid. At intentais only, this horrible soil
produces some thin, shai-p grass, so firm in the earth, that the
animals can only get it up by digging the sand with their muz-
zles. The numerous swamps, which had been so heavy a desola-
tion to us on the borders of the Yellow Eiver, became matter of
regret in the country of the Ortous, so very rai'e here is water; not
a single rivulet is there, not a spring, v/here the traveller can quench
his thirst ; at distances only ai"e there ponds and cisterns, filled
with a fetid, muddy water.

The Lamas, with whom we had been in communication at Blue
Town, had warned us of all the miseries we should have to endure
in the country of the Ortous, especially on account of the scarcity
of water. By their advice we had bought two wooden pails, which

168

TRAVELS IN TARTART,

proved indeed of the greatest service to us. Wlienever we were
lucky enough to find on our way pools or wells dug by the Tartars,
we filled our pails, without considering too nicely the quality of
the water, which we used with tli# greatest economy, as if it had
been some rare and precious beverage. In spite of all these pre-
cautions, it happened more than once that we were obliged to pass
whole days without getting a single drop of water wherewith to
moisten om' lips. But our personal privations were trifling com-
pared with the pain we felt at seeing our animals wanting water
almost every day in a countij where they had nothing to eatbeyond a
few plants nearly dried up, and, as it were, calcined by nitre, and
where they accordingly fell away visibly. After some days' travelling,

THE STEPPES OF ORTOUS.

the horse assumed a truly wretched appearance ; it bent down its
head, and seemed, at every step, as though it would sink down with
weakness; the camels painfully balanced themselves on their long
legs, and their emaciated humps hung over their backs like empty
bags.

The steppes of the Ortous, though so destitute of water and
good pasture, have nco been quite abandoned by wild animals.
You often find there grey squirrels, agile yellow goats, and beauti
fully plumaged pheasants. Hares are in abundance, and are so
far from shy, that they did not even take the trouble to move at
our approach ; they merely rose on their hind legs, pricked up their
ears, and looked at us as we passed with the utmost indifference.
The fact is, these animals feel perfectly secure, for, with the excep

THIBET, AKD CIITXA. loy

tion of a few Mongols who follow the chase, nobody ever molests
them.

The hei-ds of the Tartars of the Ortoiis are not very numei-oiis,
and are quite different from those which feed on the rich jiastmes
of the Tchakar, or of Gechekten. The cattle and horses appeared
very miserable ; the goats, sheep, and camels, however, looked very
well, which is undoubtedly the consequence of their predilection
for plants impregnated with saltpetre, whereas cattle and horses
prefer fresh pastures, and pure and abundant water.

The Mongols of Or tous are veiy much aflected by the wretched-
ness of the soil upon which they live. In the course of our
journey we saw no indication that they had become much richer
than they were in the time of the Emperor Khang-Hi. Most of
them live in tents made of some rags of felt, or of goat- skins framed
on a wretched woodwork. Everything about these tents is so old
and dii'ty, so tattered with time and storms, that you would with
difficulty suppose they coiûd serve as abodes for human beings.
Whenever we happened to pitch our tent near these poor habita-
tions, we were sure to be visited by a crowd of wi-etches who pros-
trated themselves at our feet, rolled on the earth, and gave us the
most magnificent titles, in order to extract something from our
charity. We were not rich, but we could not abstain from bestow-
ing upon them a part of the modicimi which the goodness of Pro-
vidence had bestowed upon us. We gave them sonie leaves of tea,
a handful of oatmeal, some broiled millet, sometimes some mutton
fat. Alas ! we woidd fain have given more, but we were obliged to
give according to our means. The missionaries are themselves
f)oor men, who only live upon the alms distributed among them
every year by their brothers in Europe.

Any one not acquainted with the laws by which the Tartars are
ruled, would not readily understand why men condemn themselves
to spend their lives in the wretched country of the Ortous, whilst
Mongolia presents, in every direction, immense uninhabited plains,
where water and pasture are to be found in abundance. Although
the Tartars are nomads, and incessantly wandering about from
one place to another, they are, nevertheless, not at Uberty to live in
any other country than their own. They are bound to remain in
their own kingdom, under the dominion of their own sovereign,
for slavery is still maintained among the Mongol tribes with the
utmost rigour. In order to attain an accurate idea of the degree
of liberty these people enjoy in theii- desert regions, it is expedient
to enter into some details as to the form of their government.

Mongolia is divided into several sovereignties, whose chiefs ai'e
subject to the Emperor of China, himself a Tartar, but of the

K

170 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

IMantchou race: these chiefs bear titles corresponding to those of
kings, dukes, earls, barons, &c. They govern their states according
to tlieir own pleasure, none having any right to meddle with their
affairs. They acknowledge as sovereign only the Emperor of
China. Whenever there arise differences among them, they appeal
to Peking. Instead of levelling lances at each other, as used to be
done in the middle age of Europe, among its little sovereigns, so
warlike and so turbulent, they always submit with respect to the
decision of the Court of Peking, wdmtever it may be. Though the
Mongol sovereigns think it their duty to prostrate themselves, once
a year, before the Son of Heaven, Lord of the Earth, they never-
theless do not concede to the Grand-Khan the right of dethroning
the reigning families in the Tartar principalities. He may, they
say, cashier a king for grave misconduct, but he is bound to fill up
the vacant j^lace with one of the superseded prince's sons. The
sovereignty belongs, they contend, to such and such a family, by a
right which is inalienable, and of which it were a crime to dispossess
the owner.

A few years ago, the King of Barains^ was accused at Peking
of having conspired a rebellion against the Emperor ; he was
tried by the Supreme Tribunal without being heard, and con-
demned to be " shortened at both ends," the meaning of tiie
decree being, that his head and feet should be cut off. The king
made enormous presents to the officials who were sent to superin-
tend the execution of the imperial edict, and they contented them-
selves with cutting off his braid of hair, and the soles of his boots.
They repoited at Peking that the order had been executed, and no
more was said about the matter. The king, however, descended
from his throne, and was succeeded by his son.

Although it is a sort of customary right that power shall
always remain in the same family, it cannot be said that there is
anything precisely fixed in this respect. There can be nothing
more vague and indefinite than the relations between the Tartar
sovereigns and the Grand-Khan or Emperor of China, whose om-
nipotent will is above all laws and all customs. In practice, the
Emperor has the right to do whatever he chooses to do, and the
right is never disputed by any person. If doubtful or disputed
cases arise, they are decided by force.

In Tartary, all the families that are in any way related to the
sovereign, form a nobility, or a patrician cast, who are proprietors
of the whole soil. These nobles, called Taitsi, are distinguished by

1 Barains is a principality situated north of Peking. It is one of the most
celebrated in Mongol Tartary.

THIBET, AND CHINA. 171

a blue button surmounting the cap. It is from among them that
the sovereigns of the different states select their ministers, who are
generally three in number, and called Toutzelaktsi — that is to say,
a man who assists or lends his aid. This rank gives them the
right of v/earing the red button. Below the Toutzelaktsi are the
Touchimel, subaltern officers, who are charged with the details of
government. Lastly, a certain number of secretaries or interpre-
ters, who must be versed in the Mongol, Mantchou, and Chinese
languages, complete the hierarchy.

In the country of the Khalkhas, to the north of the desert of
Gobi, there is a district entirely occupied by Taitsi, wlio are sup-
posed to be descendants of the Mongol dynasty, that was founded
by Tchinggiskhau, and which occupied the imperial throne from
1260 to 1341. After the revolutiou, which restored the national
independence of the Chinese, these people sought refuge among
the Khalkhas, obtained, without difficulty, a portion of their im-
mense territory, and adopted the nomad life, which their ancestors
had led prior to the conquest of China. These Taitsi live in the
greatest independence, liable to no duty, paying no tiibute to any
one, and recognising no sovereign. Their wealth consists in tents
and cattle. The country of the Taitsi is, of all the Mongol regions,
that wherein the patriarchal manners are found to be most accu-
rately preserved, such as the Bible describes them in the lives of
Abraham, Jacob, and the other pastors of Mesopotamia.

The Tartars who do not belong to the royal family, ai-e all
slaves, living in absolute subjection to their masters. Besides the
rcDts they pay, they are bound to keep their master's flocks and
herds, but they are not forbidden to breed also cattle on their own
account. It would be a fallacy to imagine that slavery in Tartaiy is
oppressive and cruel, as amongst some nations; the noble families
scarcely differ from the slave families. In examining the rela-
tions between them, it would be difficult to distinguish the master
from the slave : they live both alike in tents, and both alike occupy
their lives in pasturing their flocks. You will never find among
tliem luxury and opulence insolently staring in the face of poverty.
When the slave enters his master's tent, the latter never fails to offer
him tea and milk ; they smoke together, and exchange their pipes.
Around the tents the young slaves and the young noblemen romp
and wrestle together without distinction; the stronger throws the
weaker; that is all. You often find famOies of slaves becoming
proprietors of numerous flocks, and spending theii- days in abund-
ance. We met many who were richer than their masters, a cir-
cumstance giving no umbrage to the latter. What a difference
between this slavery and that of Eome, for instance, where the

172 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

Eoman citizen, when he made up the inventory of his house, classed
his slaves as furniture. With these haughty and cruel masters
the slave did not merit even the name of man ; he was called,
without ceremony, a domestic thing, res domesiica. Slavery, with
the Mongol Tartars, is even less oj^pressive, less insulting to
humanity, than the bondage of the middle ages. The Mongol
masters never give to their slaves those humiliating nicknames
which were formerly used to designate serfs; they call them
brothers; never villeins, never scum, never ^e«^ taillaUe et corvéable
à merci.

The Tartar nobles have the light of life and death over their
slaves. They may administer justice themselves upon their bonds-
men, even to sentence of death ; but this privilege is never
exercised in an arbitrary way. In case a slave has been put to
death, a superior tribunal investigates the action of the master,
and if it be found that he has abused his right, the innocent blood
is revenged. The Lamas who belong to slave families become free,
in some degi-ee, as soon as they enter the sacerdotal tribe ; they are
liable neither to rents nor enforced labour ; they are at liberty to
quit their country, and ramble through the world at their pleasure,
without anybody having the right to stay them.

Although the relations between master and slave are generally
full of humanity and good-will, there are nevertheless Tartar
sovereigns who abuse their right, and oppress their people, and
exact exorbitant tributes. We know one who makes use of a
system of oppression that is truly revolting. He selects from
among his flocks the oldest and sickliest cattle, camels, sheep and
goats, and gives them in charge to the rich slaves in his states,
who cannot, of course, object to pasture the cattle of their sove-
reign master; but are fain to consider it rather an honom*. After
a few years, the king applies for his cattle, by this time all dead or
dying of illness or old age, and selects from the flocks of his slaves
the youngest and strongest; often even, not content with this, he
demands double or treble the number. " Nothing," says he, " is
more just ; for in two or three years my beasts must have multi-
plied, and therefore a great number of lambs, colts, calves, and
young camels belong to me."

Slavery, however mitigated and softened, can never be in har-
mony with the dignity of man. It has been abolished in Europe,
and we hope will be abolished one day among the Mongol people.
But this great revolution will, as everywhere else, be operated by
the influence of Christianity. It will not be theory-mongers who
will liberate these nomad people. The work will be tlie work of
the priests of Jesus Christ, of the preachers of the Holy Gospel,

THIBET, AND CHINA. 173

that Divine Charter, wherein are set forth the true rights of man.
So soon as the missionaries shall have taught the Mongols to say,
" Our Father who art in Heaven," slavery will fall in Tariary, and
the tree of liberty will grow beside the cross.

After some clays' marcli across the sands of tbe Ortous, we
noticed on our way a small Lamasery, richly built in a ])icturesque
and wild situation. We passed on without stopping. We had
advanced a gun-shot from the place, when we heard behind us the
galloping of a horse. On looking round we saw a Lama following
us at full speed. " Brothers," he said, " you have passed oiu-
Soumé (Lamasery) without stopping. Are you in such haste that
you cannot repose fora day, and oliëryour adorations to our saint?"
" Yes, we are rather in a hurry ; our journey is not of a few days;
we are going to the West." " I knew very well by your physiog-
nomies that you were not Mongols, and that you came from the
West; but as you are going so far, you had better prostrate your-
selves before our saint; that will bring you good luck." "We
never prostrate ourselves before men ; the true creed of the West
forbids that." " Our saint is not a mere man ; you do not imagine,
perhaps, that in oiu' little Lamasery we have the happiness to
possess a Chaberon, a living Buddha. It is two years since he
deigned to descend from the holy mountains of Thibet; he is now
seven years old. In one of his former lives he was Grand Lama of
a splendid Lamasery in tlds vale, which was destroyed, according
to the prayer-books, in the time of the wars of Tching-Kis. The
saint having reappeared a few years since, we have constructed in
haste a small Lamaseiy. Come, brothers, our saint will hold his
right hand over youi- heads, and luck will accompany yoiu' steps!"
" The men who know the Holy Doctrine of the West, do not
believe in all these transmigrations of the Chaberons. We adore
only the Creator of Heaven and earth ; his name is Jehovah.
We believe that the child you have made superior of yoiu' Lamasery
is destitute of all power. Men have nothing to hope or to fear from
him." When the Lama heard these words, which he certainly
never expected, he was quite stupified. By degrees his face became
animated, and at last exhibited indignation and anger. He looked
at us several times, then, pulling the bridle of his horse, he tiu'ned
short round and left us hastily, muttering between his teeth some
words which we could not exactly hear, but which we were aware
did not constitute a benediction.

The Tartars believe with firm and absolute faith in all these
various transmigrations. They would never allow themselves to
entertain the slightest doubt as to the authenticity of their Chaberons.
These living Buddhas are in large numbers, and are always placed

1T4 TRAVELS IN TAETARY,

at the head of the most important Lamaseries. Sometimes they
modestly hegin their career in a small temj)le, and have only a few-
disciples ; but very soon their reputation increases around, and the
small Lamasery becomes a place of pilgrimage and devotion. The
neighbouring Lamas, speculating upon the rising fashion, surround
it with their cells ; the Lamasery acquires development from year to
year, and becomes at last famous in the land.

The election and enthronization of the living Buddhas are con-
ducted in so singular a manner as to be well worth relating. When
a Grand Lama has gone, that is to say, is dead, the circumstance is
no occasion of mourning in the Lamasery. There are no tears, no
lamentations, for everybody knows the Chaberon will very soon
reappear. This apparent death is but the beginning of a new-
existence, as it were, one ring more added to the unlimited, unin-
terrupted chain of successive lives — a regular palingenesis. While
the saint is in a state of chrysalis, his disciples are in the greatest
anxiety ; for it is their most important affair to discover the place
where their master will resume life. A rainbow appearing in the
air is considered a signal sent to them by their old Great Lama to
aid them in their researcli. Everyone thereupon says his prayers,
and while the Lamasery which has lost its Buddha redoubles its
fastings and prayers, a troop of elect proceeds to consult the
Tchurtchun or augur, famous for the knowledge of things hidden
from the common herd. He is informed that on such a day of such
a moon the rainbow of the Chaberon has manifested itself on the
sky; it made its appearance in such a place; it was more or less
luminous, and it was visible so long; then it disappeared amid
such and such circumstances. When the Tchurtchun has received
all tbe necessary indications, he recites some prayers, opens his
books of divination, and pronounces at last his oracle, while the
Tartars who have come to consult him, listen, kneeling and full of
unction. " Your Great Lama," says he, " has reappeared in Thibet,
at such a distance from your Lamasery. You will find him in such
a family." When these poor Mongols have heard this oracle, they
return full of joy to announce the glad tidings to their Lamasery.

It often happens that tbe disciples of the defunct have no occa-
sion to trouble themselves at all in order to discover the new
birth-place of their Great Lama. He himself takes the trouble
to initiate them into the secret of his transformation. As soon
as he has effected bis metamorphosis in Thibet, he reveals himself
at an age when common children cannot yet articulate a single
word. " It is I," he says with the accent of authority ; " it is I who
am the Great Lama, the living Buddha of such a temple ; conduct
me to my ancient Lamasery. I am its immortal superior." The

THIBET, AND CHINA. 175

wonderful baby having thus spoken, it is speedily communicated
to the Lamas of the Soumé indicated, that their Chaberon is born
in such a place, and they are summoned to attend and invite him
home.

In whatever manner the Tartars discover the residence of tlieir
Great Lama, whether by the appearance of the rainbow, or by the
spontaneous revelation of the Chaberon himself, they are always
full of intense joy on the occasion. Soon all is movement in the
tents, and the thousand preparations for a long joiu-ney are made
with enthusiasm, for it is almost always in Thibet that they have to
seek their living Buddha, who seldom fails to play them the trick of
transmigrating in some remote and almost inaccessible country.
Everyone contributes his share to the organisation of the holy
journey. If the king of the country does not place himself at the
head of the caravan, he sends either his own son or one of the most
illustrious members of the royal family. The great ^Mandarins, or
ministers of the king, consider it their duty and an honour to join
the party. When everything is at last prepared, an auspicious day
is chosen, and the caravan starts.

Sometimes these poor Mongols, after having endured incredible
fatigues in horrible deserts, fall into the bands of the brigands of
the Blue Sea, who strip them from head to foot. If they do not
die of hunger and cold in those dreadful solitudes — if they succeed
in returning to the place whence they came — they commence the
preparations for a new journey. There is nothing capable of dis-
couraging them. At last, when, by dint of energy aiid perse-
verance, they bave contrived to reach the eternal sanctuary, they
prosti'ate themselves before the child wbo has been indicated to
them. The young Chaberon, however, is not saluted and pro
claimed Great Lama without a previous examination. There is
held a solemn sitting, at which the new living Buddha is examined
publicly, with a scrupulous attention. He is asked the name of the
Lamaseiy of which he assumes to be the Great Lama; at what
distance it is ; what is the number of the Lamas residing in it. He
is inteiTOgated respecting the habits and customs of the defunct
Great Lama, and the principal circumstances attending his death.
After all these questions, there are placed before him different
prayer-books, ai tides of furniture, teapots, cups, &c., and amongst
all these things he has to point out those which belonged to his
former life.

Generally this child, at most but five or six years old, comes
forth victorious out of all these trials. He answers accurately all
the questions that are put to him, and makes without any embar
rassment the inventory of his goods. " Here," he says, " are the

176 TRAVELS IN TAETARY,

prayer-books I used ; there is the japanned porringer out of which I
drank my tea." And so on.

No doubt the Mongols are often dupes of the fraud of those who
have an interest in making a Great Lama out of this puppet.
Yet we believe that often all this proceeds on both sides with
honesty and good faith. .From the information we obtained from
persons worthy of the greatest credit, it appears certain that all that
is said of the Chaberons must not be ranged amongst illusion and
deception. A jDurely human philosophy will, undoubtedly, reject
such things, or put them, without hesitating, down to the account
of Lama imposture. We Catholic missionaries believe that the
great liar who once deceived our first parents in the earthly
Paradise still pursues his system of falsehood in the world. He
who had the power to hold up in the air Simon Magus may well at
this day speak to mankind by the mouth of an infant, in order to
maintain the faith of his adorers.

When the titles of theli\dng Buddha have been confirmed, he is
conducted in triumph to the Lamasery, of which he is to be the
Grand Lama. Ui:>on the road he takes, all is excitement, all is
movement. The Tartars assemble in large crowds to prostrate
themselves on his way, and to present to him their offerings. As
soon as he is arrived at his Lamasery, he is placed upon the altar;
and then, kings, princes, mandarins. Lamas, Tartars, from the
richest to the poorest, come and bend the head before this child,
which has been brought from the depths of Thibet, at enormous
expense, and whose demoniac possessions excite eveiy body's
respect, admiration, and enthusiasm.

There is no Tartar kingdom which does not possess, in one of
its Lamaseries of the first class, a living Buddha. Besides this
superior, there is always another Grand Lama, who is selected from
the members of the royal family. The Thibetian Lama resides in
the Lamasery, like a living idol, receiving every day the adorations
of the devout, upon whom in return he bestows his blessing. Every-
thing which relates to prayers and liturgical ceremonies, is placed
under his immediate superintendence. The Mongol Grand Lama
is charged with the administration, good order, and executive of the
Lamasery ; he governs whilst his colleague is content to reign. The
famous maxim. Le roi règne et tie gouverne pas, is not, therefore, the
grand discovery in politics that some people imagine. Peoj^le pre-
tend to invent a new system, and merely plunder, without saying a
word about it, the old constitution of the Tartar Lamaseries.

Below these two sovereigns, are several subaltern officers, who
direct tlie details of the administration, the revenues, the sales, the
purchases, and the discipline. The scribes keep the registers, and

THIBET, AND CHINA. 177

draw lip the regulations and orders which the governor Lama pro-
mulgates for the good keeping and order of the Lamaseiy. These
scrihes are generally well versed in the Mongol, Thihetian, and
sometimes in the Chinese and Mantchou languages. Before they
are admitted to this employment, they are obliged to undergo a veiy
rigorous examination, in presence of all the Lamas and of the
principal civil authorities of the country.

After this staff of superiors and officers, the inhabitants of the
Lamasery are divided in Lama-masters and Lama-disciples or
Chabis; each Lama has under his direction one or more Chabis,
who live in his small house, and execute all the details of the
household. If the master j)ossesses cattle, they take charge of them,
milk the cows, and prepare the butter and cream. In return for
these seiwices, the master directs his disciples in the study of the
prayers, and initiates them into the liturg}^ Every morning the
Chabi must be up before his master ; his first task is to sweep the
chamber, to light a fire and to make the tea; after that he takes
his prayer-book, presents it respectfully to his master, and prostrates
himself thrice before him, without saying a single word. This sign
of res^Dect is equivalent to a request that the lesson he has to learn
in th'e course of the day may be marked. The master opens the
book, and reads some pages, accoi*ding to the capacity of his
scholar, who then makes three more prostrations in sign of thanks,
and returns to his afiah's.

The Chabi studies his prayer-book, when he is disposed to do so,
there being no fixed period for that ; he may spend his time, sleeping
or romping with the other young pupils, without the slightest
interference on the part of his master. When the hour for retiring
to bed has anived, he recites the lesson assigned him in the morning,
in a monotonous manner; if, the recitation is good, he is looked
upon as having done his duty, the silence of Ms master being the
only praise he is entitled to obtain ; if, on the contraiy, he is not
able to give a good account of his lesson, the severest punishment
makes him sensible of his fault. It often happens, that under such
circumstances, the master, laying aside his usual gravity, rushes
upon his scholar, andoverwhelms him at once with blows and temble
maledictions. Some of the pupils, who are over maltreated, run
away and seek adventures far from their Lamasery ; but in general
they patiently submit to the punishment intiicted on them, even
that of passing the night in the open air, without any clothes and
in full winter. We often had opportunities of talking with Chabis,
and when we asked them whether there was no means of learning
the prayei's without being beaten, they ingenuously and with an
accent manifesting entire conviction, replied, that it was impossible.

178 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

" The prayers one knows best," they said, " are always those for
which one has got most blows. The Lamas who cannot recite
prayers, or cure maladies, or tell fortunes, or predict the future, are
those who have not been beaten well by their masters."

Besides these studies, which are conducted at home, and under
the immediate superintendence of the master, the Chabis may
attend, in the Lamasery, public lectures, wherein the books which
relate to religion and to medicine are expounded. But these com-
mentaries are mostly vague, unsatisfactory, and quite inadequate to
form learned Lamas; there are few of them who can give an exact
account of the books they study; to justify their omission in this
respect, they never fail to allege the profundity of the doctrine.
As to the great majority of the Lamas, they think it more convenient
and expeditious to recite the prayers in a merely mechanical way,
without giving themselves any trouble about the ideas they contain.
When we come to speak of tlie Lamaseries of Thibet, where the
instruction is more complete than in those of Tartary, we shall
enter into some details upon Lama studies.

The Thibetian books alone being reputed canonical, and ad
mitted as such by the Buddhist Reformation, the Mongol Lamas
pass their Jives in studying a foreign idiom, without ti'oubhng them-
selves at all about their own language. There are many of them
well versed in the Thibetian literature, who do not even know their
own Mongol alphabet. There are indeed a few Lamaseries where
the study of the Tartarian idiom receives some slight attention, and
where they sometimes lecite Mongol prayers, but these are always
a translation of Thibetian books. A Lama who can read Thibetian
and Mongol is reputed quite a savant ; he is thought a being raised
above mankind, if he has some knowledge of Chinese and Mant-
cliou literature.

As we advan<îed in the Ortous, the country seemed more and
more desert and dismal. To make matters still worse, a terrible
storm, solemnly closing in the autumn season, brought ujwn us the
cold of winter.

One day, we were proceeding with difficulty through the arid
sandy desert ; the i>erspiration ran down our foreheads, for the heat
was stifling ; we felt overpowered by the closeness of the atmosphere,
and our camels, with outstretched necks and mouths half open, vainly
sought in the air a breath of cooling freslmcss. Towards noon,
dark clouds began to gather in the horizon ; fearful of being sur.
prised by the storm, we determined to pitch our tent. But
where? We looked round on all sides; we ascended to the
tops of the hillocks and anxiously sought with our eyes for some
Tartar habitation, which might provide us with iuel, but in vain ;

THIBET, AND CHINA. 179

we had before us on all sides nothing but a moiunful solitude.
From time to time, we saw the foxes rething to their holes, and
herds of yellow goats running to take repose in the defiles of the
mountains. Meantime, the clouds continued to rise and the wind
began to blow violently. In the iiTegularity of its gusts it seemed
now to bring us the tempest, now to drive it from us. While we
were thus suspended between hope and fear, loud claps of thunder,
and repeated flashes of lightning, that seemed to enkindle the sky,
gave us notice that we had no other resource than to j)lace ourselves
entirely in the hands of Providence. The icy north wind blowing
fiercely, we directed our steps to a defile, which opened near us ; but
before we had time to reach it the storm exploded. At first, rain fell
in torrents, then hail, and at last snow half melted. In an instant
we were wet through to the skin, and felt the cold seizing upon our
limbs. We immediately alighted, hoping that walking would warm
us a little, but we had hardly advanced ten steps amidst the deluge
of sand, when our legs sank as in mortar. When we found it im
possible to go any further we sought shelter by the side of oiu*
camels, and crouched down, pressing our arms closely against our
sides, in order to attain, if possible, a little warmth.

While the storm continued to hurl against us its fury, we awaited
with resignation the fate which Providence destined for us. It was
impossible to pitch the tent; it was beyond human power to spread
cloth saturated with lain, and half frozen by the north wind. Be-
sides it would have been difficult to find a site for it, since the water
streamed in eveiy direction. Amid cnrumstances so dreadful, we
looked at each other in sadness and in silence ; we felt the natural
warmth of om* body diminishing every minute, and our blood
beginning to freeze. We offered, therefore, the sacrifice of our lives
to God, for we were -eonvinoed that we should die of cold during the
night.

One of us, however, •collecting all his strength and alibis energy,
climbed up an eminence, which commanded a view of the con-
tiguous defile, and discovered a footpath, leading by a thousand
sinuosities into the depths of the immense ravine ; he pin-sued its
direction, and after a few steps in the hollow, perceived in the sides
of the mountain large openings, like doors. At this sight recoveriug
at once his courage and his strength, he ascended once more the.
eminence in order to communicate the good news to his companions.
" We are saved," he cried; " thero are caves in this defile ; let us
hasten to take refuge in them." These words immediately aroused
the little cai'avan ; we left our animals upon the hill, and speedily
descended into the ravine. A footpath led to the opening; we
advanced our heads, and discovered in the interior of the mountain,

180

TRAVELS IN TARTAR Y,

CAVES OF THE ORTOUS.

not simple caves foiTnecl by nature, but fine, spacious apartments
excavated by the band of man. Our first exclamation was an ex-
pression of thankfulness for the goodness of Providence. We
selected the cleanest and largest of these caverns, and in an instant
passed from the utmost misery to the height of felicity. It was like
a sudden and unhoped-for transition from death to life.

On viewing these subterranean dwellings, constructed wdth so
much elegance and solidity, we were of opinion that some Chinese
families had r^pair^d to this coimtry to cultivate the soil ; but that,
repelled by its barrenness, they had given up their enterprise.
Traces of cultivation, which we perceived here and there, confirmed
car conjecture. When the Chinese establish themselves anywhere
in Tartfiry, if they find mountains, the earth of which is hard and
solid, they excavate caverns in their sides. These habitations ai"e
cheaper than houses, and less exposed to the irregularity of the
seasons. They are generally very well laid out ; on ea<}h side of
the door there are windows, giving sufficient light to tl>e interior;
the walls, the ceiling, the furnaces, the kang, everything inside is
so coated with plaster, so firm and shining, that it has the appear-
ance of stucco. These caves have the advantage of being very

THIBET, AND CHINA. lyl

warm in winter and veiy cool in summer; the want of sufficient
air, however, sometimes makes a sojourn in them dangerous to the
health. Those dweUings were no novelty to us, for thej aboimd in
om* mission of Si-Wan. However, we had never seen any so well
constructed as these of the Ortous.

We took possession of one of those subterranean abodes, and
commenced proceedings by making a large fire in the furnaces,
with plentiful bundles of hemp-stems, which we found in one of the
caves. Never, on our journey, had we at our disposal such ex-
cellent fuel. Our clothes dried very soon, and we \vere so happy
at being in this fine hotel of Providence, that we spent the gi-eater
part of the night enjoying the delightful sensation of warmth, while
Samdadchiemba was never tired of broiling little cakes in mutton
fat. It was altogether quite a festival with us, and our flour felt
somewhat the efiects of it.

The animals were not less happy than we. We found for them
stables out in the mountain, and, which was better still, excellent
forage. One cave was filled with millet stems and oat-straw. But
for this horrible storm, which had nearly killed us, our animals
would never have got so grand a treat. After having for a long
time enjoyed the poetry of our miraculous position, we yielded to
the necessity of taking repose, and laid down upon a well-warmed
kang, which made us forget the terrible cold we had endured
dui'ing the tempest.

Next morning, while Samdadchiemba was using the rest of the
hemp stems, and diying our baggage, we went out for a nearer in-
spection of these numerous subterrenes. We had scarcely gone ten
steps, when we beheld, to our great astonishment, whirls of smoke is-
suing from the door and windows of a cave adjoining our own. As
we fancied we were alone in the desert, the sight of this smoke excited
a surprise, mingled with fear. We directed our steps to the opening
of the cavern, and, on reaching the threshold of the door, perceived
within a large fire of hemp stems, whose undulating flame reached
the ceiling, so that the place looked like an oven. On further
investigation we obsei-ved a human form moving amidst the thick
smoke; we soon heard the Tartar salute, Mendou! uttered by a
sonorous voice; " Come and sit beside this fire." We did not like to
advance. This cave of Cacus, that loud voice, presented to our
minds something phantastic. Finding that we remained silent and
motionless, the inhabitant of this sort of vent-hole of Erebus,
rose and came to the threshold. He was neither a devil nor a ghost,
but simply a Mongol Tartar, who, the night before, having been
suqn-ised by the storm, had fled to this cave, where he had passed
the night. After a few words about the rain, wind and hail, we

182 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

invited him to breakfast with us, and brought him to our dwelling.
While Samdadchiemba, aided by our guest, made the tea, we went
out again to pursue our researches.

We walked amid these deserted and silent abodes with a cu-
riosity not free from terror. All were constructed upon much the
same model, and still preserved their pristine integrity. Chinese
characters engraved on the walls, and pieces of porcelain vases, con-
firmed our impression that these caves had been inhabited not long
since by Chinese. Some old woman's shoes, which we discovered
in a corner, removed any remaining doubt. We could not shake
off a feeling of sadness and melancholy, when we thought of those
numerous families, who, after having lived a long time in the en-
trails of this large mountain, had gone elsewhere to seek a more
hospitable soil. As we entered the caves, we alarmed flocks of
sparrows, which had not yet left these former dwellings of man, but
had, on the contrary, boldly taken possession of these gi"and nests.
The millet and oats strewn around profusely, induced them to
remain. " Undoubtedly," said we, " they too will fly away when
they no longer find here any more grains, when they find that the
old inhabitants of these caves return no more, and they will seek
hospitality under the roofs of houses."

The sparrow is a regular cosmopolite ; we have found it wher-
ever we have found man; ever with the same vivid, petulant,
quarrelsome character ; ever with the same sharp, angry cry. It is,
however, to be remarked that in Tartary, China, and Thibet it is,
perhaps, more insolent than in Europe ; because there, nobody
makes war upon it, and its nest and brood are piously respected.
You see it boldly enter the house, live tliere on familiar terms,
and peck up at its leisure the remnants of man's food. The
Chinese call it Kio-nio-eul, (bird of the family).

After having inspected about thirty of these caves, which did
not present anything remarkable, we returned to our own. At
breakfast, the conversation naturally turned upon the Chinese who
had excavated these dwellings. We asked the Tartar if he had seen
them. " What ! " said he, " have I seen the Kitats who inhabited
this defile? Why, I knew all of them; it is not more than two
years since they left the country. For that matter," he added,
" they had no right to remain here ; as they were rascals, it
was quite proper to turn them out." " Kascals, say you ? why,
what mischief could they do in this wretched ravine? " " Oh, the
Kitats are sly, cheating fellows. At first, they seemed very good;
but that did not last long. It is more than twenty years ago that
a few of their families sought our hospitality : as they were j)Oor,
they got permission to cultivate some land in the vicinity, on

THIBET, AND CHINA. 183

condition, that every year after harvest they should furnish some
oatmeal to the Taitsi of the country. By degrees, other famihes
arrived, who also excavated caverns wherein to dwell ; and soon
this defile was full of them. In the beginning, these Kitats showed
a gentle, quiet character; we lived together like brothers. Tell me,
Sirs Lamas, is it not well to live together like brothers ? Are not all
men brothers ? " " Yes, that is true ; you speak the words of justice ;
but why did these Kitats go hence?" "Peace did not last long;
they soon showed themselves wicked and false. Instead of being
content with w4iat had been given them, they extended their cul-
tivation at their pleasure, and took possession of a large tenitory,
without asking anyone's leave. When they were rich they woidd
not pay the oatmeal they had agreed to pay as tribute. Every year,
when we claimed the rent, we were received with insults and male-
dictions. But the worst thing was, that these rascally Kitats
turned thieves, and took possession of all the goats and sheep that
lost their way in the sinuosities of the lavine. At last, a Taitsi of
great courage and capacity, called together the Mongols of the
neighbou]-hood, and said, — ' The Kitats take away our land, they
steal our beasts, and curse us ; as they do not act or speak as bro-
thers, we must expel them.' Everybody was pleased with these
words of the old Taitsi. After a deliberation, it was decided that
the principal men of the country shoidd go to the king, and sup-
plicate an order condemning the Kitats to be expelled. I was one of
the deputation. The king reproached us for ha\dng permitted
foreigners to cultivate our lands; we prostrated ourselves before
him, observing profound silence. However, the king, who always
acts with justice, had the order written, and sealed with his red seal.
The ordonnance said, that the king would not permit the Kitats to
live any longer in the country; and that they must leave it before
the first day of the eighth moon. Three Taitsi rode off to present
the ordonnance to the Kitats. They made no answer to the three
deputies, but said amongst themselves, ' The king desires us to go;
very well.'

*' Afterwards we learned that they had assembled and had resolved
to disobey the orders of the king and to remain in the country, in
spite of him. The first day of the eighth moon arrived, and they
still occupied calmly their habitations, without making any pre-
paration for departure. In the morning, befoi-e daybreak, all the
Tartars mounted their horses, armed themselves with their lances,
and di'ove their flocks and herds upon the cultivated lands of the
Kitats, on which the crop was still standing : when the sun rose,
nothing of that crop was left. All had been devoured by the
animals, or trodden down. The Kitats yelled and cursed us,

184 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

but the thing was done. Seeing that their position was despeiate,
they collected, the same day, their furniture and agricultural im-
plements, and went off to settle in the eastern parts of the Ortous,
at some distance from the Yellow River, near the Paga-Gol. As you
came through Tchagan-Kouren, you must have met on your route,
west of the Paga-Gol, Kitats cultivating some pieces of land ; well, it
was they who inhabited this defile, and excavated all these caves."

Having finished his narrative, the Tartar went out for a
moment and brought back a small packet, which he had left in
the cavern, where he had passed the night. " Sirs Lamas,"
he said on his return, " I must depart ; but will you not come
and repose for a few days in my dwelling? My tent is not far
hence; it is behind that sandy mountain which you perceive
there towards the north. It is at the utmost not more than thirty
lis off." " We are much obliged to you," answered we. " The hos-
l)itality of the Mongols of Ortous is known everywhere, but we have
a long journey before us ; we cannot stop on our way." " What
are a few days, sooner or later, in a long journey? Your beasts
cannot always be on their feet; they need a little rest. You your-
selves have had much to endure from the weather of yesterday.
Come with me; all will then be well. In four days we shall have
a festival. My eldest son is going to establish a family. Come to
the nuptials of my son ; your presence will bring him good fortune."
The Tartar, seeing us inflexible, mounted his horse, and after
having ascended the pathway which led to the defile, disappeared
across the heath and sand of the desert.

Under other circumstances, we should have accepted with plea-
sure the offer thus made; but we desired to make the shortest
possible stay amongst the Ortous. We were anxious to leave behind
us that miserable country, where our animals were wasting away
daily, and where we had ourselves met with such fatigue and
misery. Besides, a Mongol wedding was no new thing to us.
Since we had entered Tartary, we had witnessed more than once,
ceremonies of that kind.

The Mongols marry very young, and always under the influence
of the absolute authority of the parents. This affair, so grave and
important, is initiated, discussed, and concluded, without the two
persons most interested in it, taking the least part in it. Whatever
promises of marriage may take place in youth, or at more advanced
age, it is the parents who always settle the contract, without even
speaking to their children about it. The two future consorts do
not know, perhaps never saw each other. It is only when they are
married that they have the opportunity to inquire whether there is
sympathy between their characters or not.

THIBET, AND CHINA. 185

The daughter never brings any marriage portion. On tne con-
trary, the young man has to make presents to the family of his
bride : and the value of these presents is seldom left to the generosity
of the husband's parents. Everything is arranged beforehand and
set forth in a public document, with the minutest details. In fact,
the matter is less a marriage present than the price of an object,
sold by one party and bought by the other. The thing is indeed
very clearly expressed in then* language ; they say, " I have bought
for my son the daughter of so and so." " We have sold our daughter
to such and such a family." The marriage contract is thus simply a
contract of sale. There are mediators, who bargain and haggle, up
and down, till at last they come to an agreement. When it is
settled how many horses, oxen, sheep, pieces of linen, pounds of
butter, what quantity of brandy and wheat-flour shall be given to
the family of the bi'ide, the contract is at length drawn up before
witnesses, and the daughter becomes the property of the purchaser.
She remains, however, with her family till the time of the nuptial
ceremonies.

When the mamage has been concluded between the mediators,
the father of the bridegi-oom, accompanied by his nearest relations,
can-ies the news to the family of the bride. On entering, they
prostrate themselves before the little domestic altai", and offer to the
idol of Buddha a boiled sheep's head, milk, and a sash of white silk.
Then they partake of a repast provided by the parents of the bride-
groom. During the repast, all the relations of the bride receive a
piece of money, which they deposit in a vase filled with wine made
of fermented milk. The father of the bride drinks the ^vine, and
keeps the money. This ceremony is called Tahil-Tébihou, " striking
the bargain."

The day indicated by the Lamas as auspicious for the marriage
having arrived, the bridegroom sends early in the moiTung a depu-
tation to fetch the girl who has been betrothed to him, or rather
whom he has bought. When the envoys draw near, the relations
and friends of the bride place fnemselves in a circle before the door,
as if to oppose the departine of the bride, and then begins a feigned
fight, which of course terminates with the bride being carried ofi*.
She is placed on a horse, and having been tlmce led round her
paternal house, she is then taken at full gallop to the tent which
has been prepared for the purpose, near the dwelhng of her father-
in-law. Meantime, all the Tartars of the neighbourhood, the re-
lations and friends of both families, repair to the wedding- least, and
offer then- presents to the new married pair. The extent of these
presents, which consist of beasts and eatables, is left to the generosity
of the guests. They are destined for the father of the bridegroom

L

186 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

and often fully indemnify him for his expenses in the purchase of
tlie bride. As the offered animals come up they are taken into folds
ready constructed for them. At the weddings of rich Tartars, these
large folds receive great herds of oxen, horses and sheep. Gene-
rally tlie guests are generous enough, for they know that they will
be paid in return, upon a similar occasion.

When the bride has finished dressing, she is introduced to her
father in-law ; and while the assembled Lamas recite the prayers
prescribed by the ritual, she first prostrates herself before the image
of Buddha, then before the hearth, and lastly before the father,
mother, and other near relatives of tlie bridegroom, who, on his
p)art, performs the same ceremonies towards the family of his bride,
assembled in an adjacent tent. Then comes the wedding-feast,
which sometimes continues for seven or eight days. An ex-
cessive profusion of fat meat, infinite tobacco, and large jars of
brandy, constitute the splendour and magnificence of these repasts.
Sometimes music is added to the entertainment, and they invite
Toolholos, or Tartar singers, to give more solemnity to the festival.

The plurality of wives is admitted in Tartary, beiug opposed
neitlier to the laws, nor to the religion, nor to the manners of the
country. The first wife is always the mistress of the household,
and the most respected in the family. The other wives bear the
name of little spouses (paga erne), and owe obedience and respect
to the first.

Polygamy, abolished by the Gospel, and contrary in itself to the
happiness and concord of families, may, perhaps, be regarded as a
blessing to the Tartars. Considering the present state of society
with them, it is, as it were, a barrier opposed to libertinism and cor-
ruption of morals. Celibacy being imposed on the Lamas, and the
class of those who shave the head and live in lamaseries being so
numerous, it is easy to conceive what disorders woidd arise from this
multiplication of young women without support and abandoned to
themselves, if girls could not be placed in families in the quality of
second wives.

Divorce is very frequent among the Tartars. It takes place
without any participation of the civil or ecclesiastical authorities.
The husband, who repudiates his wife, has not even occasion for a
pretext to justify his conduct. He sends her back, without any
formality, to her parents, and contents himself with a message that
he does not require her any longer. This proceeding is in accord-
ance with Tartar manners, and does not offend any one. The
husband thinks himself entitled to the privilege, in consideration of
the oxen, sheep and horses he was obliged to give as nuptial pre-
sents. The parents of the repudiated wife do not complain at

THIBET, AND CHINA. 187

having their daughter back; she resumes her place in the family
till another husband presents himself, in which case, they even
rejoice over the profit they make by thus selling the same merchan-
dize twice over.

In Tartary, the women lead an independent life enough. They
are far from being oppressed and kept in servitude, as with other
Asiatic nations. They may come and go at their pleasure, ride out
Oil horseback, and pay each other visits from tent to tent. Instead
of the soft, languishing physiognomy of the Cliinese women, the
Tartar woman presents in her beaiiiig and manners a power and
force well in accordance with her active life and nomad habits, and
her attire augments the effect of her masculine, haughty mien.

Large leather boots, and a long green or violet robe fastened
round the waist by a black or blue girdle, constitutes her dress,
except that sometimes she wears over the great robe a small coat,
resembling in form our waistcoats, but very large, and coming
down to the hips. The hair of the Tartar women is divided in t\vo
tresses, tied up in tafietas, and hanging down upon the bosom ;
their luxury consists in ornamenting the girdle and hair with
spangles of gold and silver, pearls, coral, and a thousand other
toys, the form and quality of which it would be difficult for us to
define, as we had neither opportunity, nor taste, nor patience to pay
serious attention to these futilities.

Ji.\ltUAU()rS LA.M\NE-QC

CHAPTER IX.

Departure of the Caravan — Encampment in a fertile Valley — Intensity of the
Cold — Meeting with numerous Pilgrims — Barbarous and Diabolical Cere-
monies of Lamanism — Project for the Lamaserj?- of Rache-Tchurin — Dis-
jiersion and rallying of the little Caravan — Anger of Samdudt-hiemba — Aspect
of the Lamasery of Rache-Tchurin — Diflerent Kinds of Pilgrimages around
the Lamaseries — Turning Prayers — Qiîarrel between two Lamas — Similarity
of the Soil — Description of the Tabsoun-Noor or Salt Sea — Remarks on the
Camels of Tartary.

The Tartar who had just taken his leave had informed ns, that at
a short distance from the caverns we should find in a vale the
finest pasturages in the whole country of the Ortous. We resolved
to depart. It was near noon already when we started. The sky
vras clear, the sun brilliant; hut the temp^'rature, still afi^ected
Ity the storm of the preceding day, was cold and sharp, x-^fter
having travelled for nearly two hours over a sandy soil, deeply

TRAVELS IN TARTAR Y. 189

fuiTowed l\v the streams of rain, we entered, on a sudden, a valley
whose smiling, fertile aspect singularly contrasted with all that we
had hitherto seen among the Ortous. In the centre flowed an
abundant livulet, whose sources were lost in the sand ; and on
both sides, the hills, which rose like an amphitheatre, were covered
with ])asturage and clumps of shiaibs.

Though it was still early, we gave up all idea of continuing our
journey that day. The place was too beautiful to be passed by :
besides, the north wind had risen, and the air became intolerably
cold. We pitched our tent, therefore, in a corner, sheltered by the
hills. From the interior of the tent, our view extended, without
obstruction, down the valley, and we were thus enabled to watch oui"
animals without moving.

After sunset, the violence of the wind increased, and the cold
became more and more intense. We thought it advisable to take
some measures of security. Whilst Samdadchiemba piled up large
stones to consolidate the borders of the tent, we went about tlie
adjacent hills, and made, by aid of a hatchet, an abundant provision
of fuel. As soon as we had taken our tea and our daily broth, we
went to sleep. But sleep did not last long ; the cold became so
severe that it soon roused us. " We can't remain so," said the
Dchiahom-; "if we don't want to die of cold on our goatskins, we
must get up and make a large fire." Samdadchiemba's words
were full of sense ; it was not advisable to sleep at such a time, and
accordingly we rose, and added to our usual dress the great sheep-
skin robes that we had bought at Blue Town.

Our fire of roots and green branches was hardly lighted, when
we felt our eyes as it were calcined by the biting, acid influence of
a thick smoke, which filled the tent. We opened the door; but as
tliis gave admission to the wind, without getting rid of the smoke,
we were soon obhged to shut it again. Samdadchiemba was not in
any way molested by the thick smoke, which stifled us and drew
burning tears from our eyes. He laughed without pity at seeing
us crouched by the fire, our heads bending over our knees, and our
faces buried in both hands. " My spiritual fathers," he said, " vour
eyes are large and briglit, but they cannot endure a little smoke ;
mine are small and ugly, but, never mind, they perform their sei-
vice very well." 'J'he jests of our camel driver were not much
adapted to cheer us up; we suffered dreadfully. Yet, amid our
tribulations, we saw occasion to feel our ha})]uness to be very great.
We could not reflect without gratitude upon the goodness of Pro-
vidence, which had led us to caves, whose great value we now
fully appreciated. If we had not been able to dry our clothes,
if we had been surprised by the cold in the piteous state in

190 TRAVELS IN TARTAR Y,

which the storm had left us, we certain!}^ conld not have
lived long; we should have been fiozen with our clothes in one
iramovahJe block.

We did not think it prudent to proceed amid such severe cold,
and to leave an encampment, where at least our animals got suffi-
cient herbage to browse upon, and where fuel was abundant.
Towards noon, the weather having grown milder, we went out to
cut wood on the hillo. On our way we observed that our animals
had left the pasturage, and collected on the banks of the rivulet.
We at once conceived that they were tormented by thirst, and that
the stream being frozen, they could not quench it. We bent our
steps to tliem, and found, in fact, the camels eagerly licking the
sinface of the ice, while the liorse and the mule were kicking upon
it with their hard hoofs. The hatchet we had brought with us to
cut wood, served to break the ice, and to dig a small pond, where
our animals could quench their thirst.

Towards evening, the cold having resumed its intensity, we
adopted a plan for enabling us to obtain a better sleep than we had
in the preceding night. Until morning, the time was divided into
tliree watches, and each of us was charged, in turns, with keeping
up a large fire in the tent, while the others slept. Thus we did not
feel much of the cold, and slept in peace, without fear of setting
our linen house on fire.

After two days of horrible cold the wind abated, and we resolved
to proceed on our way. It was only with gi-eat difficulty that we
got down our tent. The first nail that we tried to draw out, broke
like glass under the hammer. The sandy, humid soil on which we
had made our encampment, was so frozen that the nails stuck in it
as if they had been incrusted in stone. To uproot them, we were
obliged to wet them several times with boiling water.

At the time of our departure, the temperature was so mild that
we were fain to take off oui skin coats, and to pack them up until
further occasion. Nothing is more frequent in Tartary than these
sudden changes of temperature. Sometimes the mildest weather is
abruptly followed by the most horrible frost. All that is needed for
this is the falling of snow, and the subsequent rise of the north
wind. Any one not inured to these sudden changes of the atmo-
sphere, and not provided, in travelling, with well-frured robes, is often
exposed to dreadful accidents. In the north of Mongolia especially,
it is not unusual to find travellers fiozen to death amidst the desert.

On the fifteenth day of the new moon, we came upon numerous
caravans, following, like ourselves, the direction from east to west.
The road was filled with men, women, and children, riding on
camels or oxen. They were all repairing, they said, to the Lama

THIBET, AND CHINA. 191

sery of Rache-Tchurin. When they had asked whether our journey
had the same object, they were surprised at receiving an answer in
the negative. These numerous jnlgi'ims, the astonishment they
showed upon hearing that we were not going to the Lamasery of
Eache-Tchurin, excited our curiosity. At the turn of a defile, we
overtook an old Lama, who, laden with a heavy pack, seemed to
make his way with great labour and pain. " Brother," said we,
" you are old ; your black hairs are not so numerous as the grey.
Doubtless your fatigue must be extreme. Place your burden upon
one of our camels ; that will relieve you a little." Upon hearing these
words the old man prostrated himself before us, in order to express
his gi'atitude. We made a camel kneel, and Saradadchiemba added to
our baggage that of the Lama. So soon as the jnlgrim was relieved
from the weight which had oppressed him, his walk became more
elastic, and an expression of satisfaction was diffused over his coun-
tenance. " Brother," said we, " we are from the West, and the afFaii's
of your country not being well known tous, we are astonished at
finding so many pilgrims here in the desert." "We are all going
to Rache-Tchurin," replied he, in accents full of emotion. " Doubt-
less," said we, " some grand solemnity calls you together?" "Yes,
to-morrow will be a great day: a Lama Boktè will manifest his
power: kill himself, yet not die." We at once understood what
solemnity it was that thus attracted the Ortous-Tartars. A Lama
was to cut himself open, take out his entrails and place them before
him, and then resume his previous condition. This spectacle, so
cruel and disgusting, is very common in the Lamaseries of Tartary.
The Boktè who is to manifest his power, as the Mongols phrase it,
prepares himself for the formidable operation by many days fasting
and prayer, pending which, he must abstain from all communication
whatever with mankind, and observe the most absolute silence.
When the appointed day is come, the multitude of pilgrims assemble
in the great court of the Lamasery, where an altar is raised in front
of the Temple-gate. At length the Boktè appears. He advances
gravely, amid the acclamations of the crowd, seats himself upon the
altar, and takes from his girdle a large knife which he places upon
his knees. At his feet, numerous Lamas, ranged in a circle, com-
mence the terrible invocations of this frightful ceremony. As the
recitation of the prayers proceeds, you see the Boktè trembling in
every limb, and gradually working himself up into phrenetic con-
vulsions. The Lamas themselves become excited: then' voices are
raised ; their song observes no order, and at last becomes a mere
confusion of yelling and outciy. Then the Boktè suddenly throws
aside the scarf which envelopes him, unfastens his giidle, and
seizing the sacred knife, slits open his stomach, in one long cut.

192 TRAVELS IN TARTAR Y,

While the blood flows in every direction, the multitude prostrate
themselves before the terrible spectacle, and the enthusiast is inter-
rogated about all sorts of hidden things, as to future events, as to the
destiny of certain personages. The replies of the Boktè to all
these questions are regarded, by everybody, as oracles.

AVhen the devout curiosity of the numerous pilgrims is satisfied,
the Lamas resume, but now calmly and gravely, the recitation of
their prayers. The Boktè takes, in his right liand, blood from his
wound, raises it to his mouth, breathes thrice upon it, and then
throws it into the air, with loud cries. He next passes his hand
rapidly over his wound, closes it, and everything after a while re-
sumes its pristine condition, no tiace remaining of the diabolical
operation, except extreme 25rostration. The Boktè once more rolls
his scarf round hira, recites in a low voice, a short prayer; then all
is over, and the multitude disperse, with the exception of a few of
the especially devout, who remain to contemplate and to adore the
blood-stained altar which the Saint has quitted.

These horrible ceremonies are of frequent occurrence in the
great Lamaseries of Tartary and Thibet, and we do not believe
that there is any trick or deception about them; for from all we
have seen and heard, among idolatrous nations, we are persuaded
that the devil has a great deal to do with the matter ; and moreover,
our impression that there is no trick in the operation is fortified by
the opinion of the most intelligent and most upright Buddhists
whom we have met in the numerous Lamaseries we visited.

It is not every Lama that can perform miraculous operations.
Those who have the fearful power to cut themselves open, for ex-
ample, are never found in the higher ]-anks of the Lama hierarchy.
They are generally lay Lauias of indifferent character, and little
esteemed by their comrades. The regular Lamas generally make
no scruple to avow their horror of the spectacle. In their eyes, all
these operations are wicked and diabolical. Good Lamas, they say,
are incapable of performing such acts, and should not even desire to
attain the impious talent.

Though these demoniac operations are, in general, decried in
well-regulated Lamaseries, yet the superiors do not prohibit them.
On the contrary, there are certain days in the year set apart for
the disgusting spectacle. Interest is, doubtless, the only motive
which could induce the Grand Lamas to favour actions which in
their conscience they reprove. The fact is, that these diabohcal
displays are an infallible means of collecting together a swarm of
stupid and ignorant devotees, who communicate renown to the
Lamasery, and enrich it with the numerous offerings which the
Tartars never fail to bring with them on such occasions.

TEÎIBET, AND CHINA. 193

Cutting open the abdomen is one of the most famous siè-fa
(siipernaturaiisms) possessed by the Lamas. There are others of
the same class, less imposing, but more common ; these are practised
in people's houses, privately, and not at the great solemnities of tlie
Lamaseries. For example, they heat irons red-hot, and then hck
them \Yith impunity; they make incisions in various parts of the
body, which an instant afterwards leave no trace behind, kc All these
operations have to be preceded by the recitation of some prayer.

\Ye knew a Lama who, according to every one's belief, could fill
a vase with water, by the mere agency of a prayer ; but we could
never induce him to try the experiment in our presence. He told
us that as we held not the same faith with him, the experiment, in our
company, would not be merely fruitless, but would expose him to
serious danger. One day, however, he recited to us the prayer of
his sié-fa. It was brief, but we readily recognised in it a direct
appeal to the assistance of the demon. " I know thee, thou knowest
me ; " thus it ran : " Come old friend, do what I ask of thee. Bring
water, and fill the vase I hold out to thee. To fill a vase with water,
what is that to thy vast power ! J know thou chai'gest dear for a
vase of water; but never mind : do what I ask of thee, and fill the
vase I present to thee. Some time hence we'll come to a reckoning :
on the appointed day thou shalt receive thy due." It sometimes
happens that the appeal remains without effect: in such cases,
praying is discontinued, and the being invoked is assailed with
insults and imprecations-

The famous sié-fa that was now attracting so lai'ge a number of
pilgiimsto the Lamasery of Eache-Tchurin, inspu-ed us with the idea
(Â repairing thither also, and of neutralizing, by our j^i'ayers, the
Satanic invocations of the Lamas. Who knows, said we to each
other, who knows but that God even now has designs of mercy
towards the Mongols of the Ortous land ; perhaps the sight ol their
Lama's power, fettered and overcome by the presence of the priests
of Jesus Christ, will strike upon the hearts of these people, and make
tliem renounce the lying creed of Buddha, and embrace the faith of
Christianity ! To encourage each other in this design, we dwelt
upon the history of Simon Magus, arrested in his flight by the
prayer of St. Peter, and precipitated from the air to the feet of his
admii-ers. Of course, ])oor missionaries, such as we, had not the
insane pretension to compare ourselves with the prince of the Ap)os-
tles ; but we knew that the protection of God, which is sometimes
granted in virtue of the merit and sanctity of him who seeks it, is
also often accorded to the omnipotent effacity in prayer itself.

V\"e resolved, therefore, to go to Eache-Tchurin, to mingle with
the crowd, and, at the moment when the diabolical invocations

191 TRAVELS IN TARTAEY,

should commence, to place ourselves, fearlessly, and with an air ot
authority before the Boktè , and to solemnly forbid him, in the name
of Jesus Christ, to make a display of his detestable power. We did
not disguise from ourselves the possible results of this proceeding;
we knew that it would assuredly excite the fury and hatred of the
adorers of Buddha ; and that perhaps a violent death would be an
instant reward for the endeavour to convert these Tartars; "But
what matter ! " exclaimed we ; " let us do courageously our woik as
missionaries; let us employ fearlessly the power that we have re-
ceived from on high, and leave to Providence the care of a future
which does not appertain to us."

Such were our intentions and our hopes; but the views of God
are not always in conformity with the designs of man, even when
these appear most in harmony with the plan of His Providence.
That very day there happened to us an accident which, canying
us far away from Eache-Tchurin, involved us in the most distressing
perplexities.

In the evening, the old Lama who was travelling with us
asked us to make the camel kneel, so that he might take his pack
from its back. " Brother," said we, " are we not going to journey
together to the Lamasery of Rache-Tchurin ?" " No ; I must follow
the -p-àta which you see meandering towards the north, along those
hills. Behind that sand-hill is a trading place, where, upon festival
days, a few Chinese merchants set up ther tents and sell goods. As
I want to make a few purchases, I cannot continue to walk in yom*
shadow." " Can we buy flour at the Chinese encampment?"
" Millet, oatmeal, flour, beef, mutton, tea-bricks, everything is sold
there." Not having been able to purchase provisions since our
departure from Tchagan-Kouren, we considered this a favourable
opportunity for supplying our deficiency in this respect. In order
not to fatigue our beasts of burden with a long circuit across stony
hills, M. Gabet took the flour-sacks upon his camel, separated from
the caravan, and went oflp at a galloj^ towards the Chinese post.
According to the indications furnished by the old Lama, he was to
meet us again in a valley at no great distance from the Lamasery.

After travelling for nearly an hour along a rugged road, continu
ally intersected by pits and quagmires, the Missionary Purveyor
reached the small heath, on which he found a number of Chines
encamped, some of their tents serving as shops, and the rest as
dwellings. The encampment presented the appearance of a small
town full of trade and activity, the customers being the Lamas of
Eache-Tchurin and the Mongol pilgrims. M. Gabet speedily
effected his purchases ; and having filled his sacks with flour, and
hung two magnificent sheeps' livers over one of the camel's humps,

THIBET, AND CHINA. 195

rode off to tlie j)lace where it had been arranged the caravon should
await him. He soon reached the spot, but lie found no peison
there, and no trace of man or beast having recently passed was
\Tisible on the sand. Imagining that perhaps some derangement of
the camels' loads had delayed our progi-ess, he turned into the road,
which it had been agi-eed we should follow; but it was to no pur
pose that he hastened along it, that he galloped here and there,
that he ascended every hill he came to, — he could see nothing; and
the cries he uttered to attract our attention remained unanswered.
He visited several points where various roads met, but he found
merely another confusion of the steps of horses, camels, oxen,
sheep, tending in eveiy direction, and crossing and recrossiug each
other, so that he was left, at last, witliout even a conjectai'e.

By-and-by he recalled to mind that our aim, as last resolved,
had been the Lamasery of Eache-Tchurin ; he turned round, and
perceiving the Lamasery in the distance, huiTied thither as fast as
he could go. When he reached the structme, which stood in tlie
form of an amphitheatre upon the slope of a hill, he looked eveiy
where for us, and asked everybody about us, for here, at least, there
was no lack of j^ersons from whom to seek information, and our
little caravan was composed in n manner likely to attract the atten-
tion of those who saw it at all : two laden camels, a white horse,
and, above all, a black mule, that eveiyone we passed stojDped to
reraai-k, on account of its extreme diminutiveness, and the splendid
tint of its skin. ]\r. Gabet inquired and inquired, but t(> no pur-
pose ; no one had seen our caravan. He ascended to the summit
of the hill, whence the eye extended over a large expanse, but he
could see nothing at all like us.

The sun set, yet the caravan did not aj)pear. M. Gabet begin-
ning to fear that some serious accident had befallen it, once more
set off, and searched in every dii-ection, up hill and down dale, but
he could see nothing of us, and learn nothing of us, from the tra
vellers whom he met.

The niglit advanced, and soon the Lamasery of Eache-Tchunn
disappeared in the daikness. M. Gabet found himself alone in
the desert, without path and without shelter, fearing alike to advance
or to recede, lest he should fall into some abyss. He was fain,
therefore, to stop where he was, in anaiTOw, sandy defile, andto j)ass
the night there. By way of supper, he had to content himself
with an Impression de Voyage. Not that provisions were wanting,
by any means, but fire was, and water. Besides, the feeling of
hunger was superseded by the anxieties which alBicted his heart as
to the caravan. He knelt on the sand, said his evening prayer,
and then lay down his head upon one of the flour sacks beside the

196 TRAVELS IN TARTART,

camel, keeping its bridle round his arm lest the animal should
stray during the night. It is needless to add that his sleep was
neitlier sound nor continuous ; the cold, hare ground is not a very
eligible bed, especially for a man preyed upon by dark anxieties.

With the earliest dawn, M. Gabet mounted his camel, and
though well nigh exhausted with hunger and fatigue, proceeded
anew in search of his companions.

The caravan was not lost, though it was terribly astray. After
M. Gabet had quitted us, in order to visit the Chinese post, we at
first exactly followed the right path ; but before long we entered
upon a vast steppe, all trace of road insensibly faded away amidst
sand so fine that the slightest wind made it undulate like sea- waves ,
there was no vestige upon it of the travellers who had pieceded us.
By-aud-by the road disappeared altogether, and we found ourselves
environed with yellow hills, which presented not the slightest sug-
gestion even of vegetation. AI. Hue, fearing to lose himself amid
these sands, stopped the cameleer. " Samdadchiemba," said he,
" do not let us proceed at random. You see yonder, in tlie valley,
that Tartar horseman driving a herd of oxen ; go and ask him the
way to Rache-Tchurin." Samdadchiemba raised his head, and
looked for a moment, closing one eye, at the sun, which was veiled
with some passing clouds. " My spiritual father," said he, " I
am accustomed to wander about the desert ; my opinion is, that
we are quite in the right road : let us continue our course westward,
and we êannot go astray." " Well, well, since you think you know
the desert, keep on." " Oh, yes ; don't be afraid. You see that
long, white line on the mountain yonder ? tliat's the road, after its
issue from the sands."

On Samdadchiemba's assurance, we continued to advance in the
same direction. We soon came to a road, as he had promised, but
it was a road disused, upon which we could see no person to confirm
01' contradict the assertion of Samdadchiemba, who persisted that
we were on the way to Eache-Tchurin. The sun set, and the twi-
light gradually gave place to tlie darkness of night, without our
discovering the least indication of the Lamasery, or, which surprised
us still more, of M. Gabet, who, according to the information of
the old Lama, ought to have rejoined us long ago. Samdadchiemba
was silent, for he now saw that we had lost our vv^ay.

It was important to encamp before the night had altogether
closed in. Perceiving a well at the end of a hollow, we set up our
tent beside it. By the time our linen-house was in order, and the
baggage piled, the night had completely set in; yet M. Gabet had
not appeared. " Get on a camel," said Â1. Hue to Samdadchiemba,
" and look about for M. Gabet." The Dchiahour made no reply;

THIBET, A^•D CHINA. 197

he was thoroughly disconcerted and depressed. Driving a stake
into the gi-oimd, he fastened one of the camels to it, and mounting
upon the other, departed mournfully in quest of our friend. He
had scarcely got out of sight, wlien the camel that was left behind,
finding itself alone, sent forth the most frightful cries ; hy-and-hy
it became furious; it turned round and round the stake, hacked to
tlie very limit of the rope and of its long neck, made longer by
painful extension, and applied every effort to get rid of the wooden
curl that was passed through its nose: the spectacle of its struggle
was really frightfid. At last it succeeded in breaking the cord, and
then dashed off boundingly into the desert. The horse and mule
had also disappeared; they were hungry and thirsty; and about
tlie tent there was not a blade of grass, not a drop of water. The
well beside which we had encamped was perfectly dry ; in fact, it
was nothing more tlian an old cistern which had probably been for
years useless.

Thus our little caravan, which for nearly two months had
journeyed, without once separating, through the desert plains ot
Tartary, was now utterly dispersed ; man and beast — all had disap-
peared. There remained only M. Hue, solitaiy in his little linen-
house, and a prey to the most corroding anxieties. For a whole
day he had neither eaten nor drunk ; but under such ch'cumstances
you do not ordinarily feel either hunger or thirst ; the mind is too
fidl to give any place to the suggestions of the body ; you seem
environed with a thousand fearful phantoms; and great indeed
were your desolation, but that you have for your safety and your
consolation, prayer, the sole lever that can raise from off your heart
the weight of sombre apprehensions that would otherwise crush it.

The hours passed on, and no one returned. As, in the obscm'ity
of night, persons might pass quite close to the tent, and yet not
see it, M. Hue, from time to time, ascended the adjacent hills and
rocks, and, in his loudest tones, called out the names of his lost
companions, but no one replied ; all still was silence, and solitude.
]t was near midnight, when at length the plaintive cries of a camel,
apparently remonstrating against being driven so fast, were heard
in the distance. Samdadchiemba soon came up. He had met
several Tartar horsemen who had no tidings, indeed, of M. Gabet,
but fi'om whom he learned that we had gone altogether astray ;
that the road we were pursuing led to a Mongol encampment, in
precisely the contrary direction to Eache-Tchurin. " By day-break,"
said Samdadchiemba, " we must raise the tent, and find the right
patli ; we shall there, no doubt, meet the elder spiritual father."
" Samdadchiemba, your advice is a bubble; the tent and the bag-
gage must remain here, for the excellent reason, that they cannot

198 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

be moved without animals." " Animals !" exclaimed the Dchiahour ,
" where, then, is the camel I fastened to the stake?" " It broke
the rope and ran away ; the horse and the mule have run away too,
and I have not the least idea where any of them are to be sought."
" This is a pretty business," grumbled the cameleer ; " however,
when day breaks we must see what can be done. Meanwhile, let
us make a little tea." " Make tea, by all means, if you can make
tea Avithout water, but water there is none ; the well is perfectly
dry." This announcement completed the discomfiture of poor
Samdadchiemba ; he sank back quite exhausted upon the baggage,
and his weariness soon threw him into deep slumber.

With the first streaks of dawn, M. Hue ascended an adjacent
hill in the hope of discovering something or somebody. He per-
ceived, in a distant valley, two animals, one black, one white ; he
hastened to them, and found our horse and mule browsing on some
thin, dusty grass, beside a cistern of soft water. When he led the
animals back to the tent, the sun was about to rise, but Samdad-
chiemba still slumbered, lying in exactly the same position which
he had assumed when he went to sleep. " Samdadchiemba," cried
M. Hue, " won't you have some tea this morning ? " At the word
tea, our cameleer jumped up as though he had been electrified; he
looked round, his eyes still heavy with sleep, " Did not the spiritual
father mention tea? Where is the tea? Did I dream I was going
to have some tea?" "I don't know whether you dreamed it, but
tea you may have, if you wish, as there is soft water in the valley
yonder, where, just now, I found the horse and the mule. Do you
go and fetch some water, while I light the fire." Samdadchiemba
joyfully adopted the proposition, and putting the buckets over his
shoulders, hastened to the cistern.

When tea was ready, Samdadchiemba became quite comfortable ;
he was absorbed with his beloved beverage, and seemed to have alto-
gether forgotten the disruption of the caravan. It was necessary,
however, to recall the circumstance to him, in order that he might
go in search of the camel that had run away.

Nearly one half the day elapsed, yet his companions did not
rejoin M. Hue. From time to time there passed Tartar horsemen
or pilgrims returning from the festival of Eache-Tchurin. Of these
M. Hue inquired whether they had not seen, in the vicinity of the
Lamasery, a Lama dressed in a yellow robe and a red jacket, and
mounted on a red camel. " The Lama," said he, " is very tall, with
a great grey beard, a long pointed nose, and a red face." To this
description, there was a general answer in the negative : " Had we
seen such a personage," said the travellers, " we should certainly
have remarked him."

THIBET, AND CHINA. 199

At length, M. Gabet appeared on the slope of a hill ; from its
summit he had recognised our blue tent pitched in the valley, and
he galloped to\vards his recovered companion as fast as his camel
could go. After a brief, animated conversation, wherein both spoke
and neither answered, we burst into a hearty laugh at the misad-
venture tlnis happily terminated. The reorganization of the caravan
was completed before sunset, by Samdadchiemba's return with the
missing camel, which, after a long round, he had found fastened to
a tent ; the Tartar, who owned the tent, having seen the animal
running away, had caught it and secured it until some one should
claim it.

Though the day was far advanced, we determined to remove, for
the place where we had encamped was miserable beyond all ex-
pression. Not a blade of grass was to be seen, and the water I had
discovered was at so great a distance, that it involved quite a
journey to fetch it, " Besides," said we, " if we can only, before night,
manage to get within sight of the right road, it will be a great
point gained." Our departure thus determined, we sat down to tea.
The conversation naturally turned upon the vexatious mischance
which had given us so much fatigue and trouble. Already more
than once, on our journey, the intractable, obstinate temperament
of Samdadchiemba had been the occasion of our losing our way.
Mounted on his little mule, as we have described, it was he who
led the caravan, preceding the beasts of burden. Upon his assump-
tion that he thoroughly understood the four cardinal points, and
that he was perfectly conversant with the deserts of Mongolia, he
would never condescend to inquire the route from persons whom he
met, and we not unfrequently suffered from his self opinion. We
were resolved, therefore, to convert the accident which had just
befallen us, into the basis of a warning to our guide. " Samdad-
chiemba," said we, " listen with attention to the important advice
we are about to imjiart. Though in your youth you may have
travelled a good deal in Mongolia, it does not follow that you are
master of all the routes ; distrust, therefore, your own conjectures,
and be more willing to consult the Tartars whom we meet. If
yesterday, for example, you had asked the way, if you had not
persisted in your practice of being guided wholly by the course of
the sun, we should not have endured so much misery." Samdad-
chiemba made no reply.

We then got up to make the preparations for depai'ture. When
we had put in order the different articles that had been confusedly
thrown about the tent, we remarked that the Dchiahour was not
occupied, as usual, in saddling the camels. We went to see what
he was about, and to our great surjjrise found him tranquilly seated

QOO TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

upon a large stone Leliind the tent. " Well ! " exclaimed we, " has
it not been determined that we are to encamp elsewhere this
evening? What are you seated on that stone for?" Samdad-
chiemba made no reply ; he did not even raise his eyes, but kept
them fixedly directed towards the ground. " Samdadchiemba,
what is the matter with you ? Why don't you saddle the camels? "
" If you wish to go," replied he clrily, "you can go; as for me, I
remain here. I cannot any longer accompany you. I am, it seems,
a wicked man, devoid of conscience ; what occasion can you have
for such a person? " We were greatly surprised to hear this from
a young neophyte who had seemed so attached to us. We, how-
ever, thought it best to attempt no persuasion, lest we should
aggravate the sullen pride of his character, and render him still
more indocile for the future. AVe accordingly proceeded to do the
necessary work om'selves.

We had already folded the tent and packed it on a camel, not a
word being spoken by any of the party. Samdadchiemba remained
seated on the stone, covering his face with his hands, and probably
watching through his fingers how we got on with the labour which
he was accustomed to fulfil. Wben he saw that we were doing
very well without him, he rose, without uttering a word, loaded the
other camel, saddled his own mule, mounted it, and led the way as
usual. M. Gabet and M. Hue exchanged smiles, but they said
nothing, for they feared that any observations at that moment might
irritate a temperament which evidently required the greatest care
in its management.

We halted in a spot beside the road, not very magnificent, cer
tainly, as a station, but at all events, infinitely preferable to the
ravine of desolation in which we had experienced such miser^\
There was this great blessing, that we were once more united ; an
immense satisfaction in tiie desert, and which we had never suffi-
ciently appreciated imtil the occm'rence of the mischance that had
for a while separated us. We celebrated the occasion by a splendid
banquet, of which the flour and sheep's liver, purchased by M.
Gabet, formed the basis. This unaccustomed treat relaxed the
frowning brow of Samdadchiemba, who applied himself to the
culinary an-angements with absolute enthusiasm, and effected, with
very limited resources, a supper of several courses.

Next morning, at daybreak, we were in motion. We had not
proceeded far when we discovered before us, outlined on the yellow
ground of a sandy hill, several large buildings, surrounded with a
multitude of white huts. This was the Lamasery of Eache-Tchurin,
which, as we approached it, seemed to us a well-built, well-kept
place. The three Buddhist temples which rise from the centre of

THIBET, AND CHINA.

'^03

^'^j:\1<.

«iS:

LAMASERY OF RACHE-TCHC&I5

the establisliment, are of elegant, of majestic construction. The
entrance to the principal temple is through a square tower of co-
lossal proportions, at each angle of which is a monstrous dragon,
elaborately carved in stone. We traversed the Lamasery from one
end to the other, along the chief streets. There was throughout
religious and solemn silence. The only persons we saw were a few
Lamas enveloped in their large red scarfs, who, after giving us the
salutation of the day in a tone scarce above a whisper, gravely
continued their melancholy walk.

Towards the western extremity of the Lamasery, Samdad-
chiemba's little mule shied, and then dashed off at a gallop, followed
in its irregular flight, by the two baggage camels. The animals on
which we were mounted w^ere equally alarmed. All this disorder
was occasioned by a young Lama, who was stretched at i'ull length
in the middle of the street, performing a rite in great vogue among
the Buddhisis, and which consists in making the circuit of a Lama-
seiy, prostrating yourself, with your forehead to the ground, at
every single step you make. Sometimes the number of devotees
performing together this painful pilgrimage is perfectly prodigious;

W'2 TRAVKLS IN TAETAET,

they follow each other, in Indian file, along a narrow path which
encircles the entire Lamasery and its appendant buildings. Any
one who deviates in the slightest degree from the prescribed line, is
considered to have failed in his devotion, and loses all the fruit he
would otherwise have derived from his previous toil. Where the
Lamasery is of any extent, the devotees have hard work to get
through the ceremony in the course of a long day; so that the
pilgrims, who have undertaken this exercise, and have started
early in the morning, think themselves lucky if they can complete
the operation by nightfall. For the pilgiimage must be performed
without inteiTnission, so strictly, that the pilgiims are not allowed
to stop for a moment even to take a little nourishment. If, after
commencing the rite you do not complete it off-hand, it does not
count ; you have acquired no merit, and you are not to expect any
spiritual profit.

Each prostration must be perfect, so that the body shall be
stretched flat along the ground, and the forehead touch the earth,
the arms being spread out before you, and the hands joined, as if
in prayer. Before rising, the pilgrim describes each time a semi
circle on the ground by means of a goat's horn, which he holds in
either hand, the line being completed by drawing the arm down to
the side. You cannot but feel infinite compassion when you look
upon these wretched creatures, their face and clothes all covered
with dust or mud. The most inclement weather will not check
their intrepid devotion ; they continue their prostrations amid snow
and rain and the most ftiercing cold.

There are various modes of performing the pilgrimage round a
Lamaseiy. Some pilgrims do not prostrate themselves at all, but
carry, instead, a load of prayer-books, the exact weight of which is
prescribed them by the Great Lama, and the burden of which is so
oppressive at times that you see old men, women, and children
absolutely staggering under it. When, however, they have suc-
cessfully completed the circuit, they are deemed to have recited all
the prayers contained in the books they have earned. Others
content themselves with simply walking the circuit, telling the
beads of their long chaplets, or constantly turning a sort of wheel,
l^laced in the right hand, and which whirls about with incon-
ceivable rapidity. This instrument is called Tchu-Kor, (turning
prayer.) You see in every brook a number of these Tchu-Kor, '
which are turned by the current, and in their movement are re-
luited to be praying, night and day, for the benefit of those who
erect them. The Tartars suspend them over the fire-place, and
these in their movements are supposed to pray for the peace and
prosperity of the whole family, emblemed by the hearth. The

THIBET, AND CHINA.

203

movement itself is effected by the thorough draught occasioned by
the openings at the top of the tent.

The Buddhists have another mode of simplifying pilgrimages
and devotional rites. In all the great Lamaseries you find at short
intervals figures in the form of baiTels, and turning upon an axle.
The material of these figures is a thick hoard, composed of infinite
sheets of paper pasted together, and upon which are wiitten in
Thibetian characters the prayers most reputed throughout the
country. Those who have not the taste, or the zeal, or the strength

TURNING PRAYERS.

to cari-y huge boards of books on their shoulders, or to prostrate
themselves, step after step, in the dust and mii'e, or to walk round
the Lamaseiy in winter's cold or summer's heat, have recourse to
the simple and expeditious medium of the prayer barrel. All they
have to do is to set it in motion; it then turns of itself for a long
time, the devotees drinking, eating, or sleeping, while the compla-
cent mechanism is turning prayers for them.

One day, on approaching a prayer barrel, we found two Lamas

204 TEAVELS IN TATITAKY,

quarrelling furiously, and just on the point of coming to blows, the
occasion being the fervour of each for prayer. One of them
having set the prayer automaton in motion, had quietly returned
to his cell. As he was entering it he turned his head, doubtless to
enjoy the spectacle of the fine prayers he had set to work for
himself, but to his infinite disgust, he saw a colleague stopping
his prayers, and about to turn on the barrel on his own account.
Indignant at this pious fraud, he ran back, and stopped his com-
petitor's prayers. Thus it went on for some time, the one turning
on, the other stopping the baiTCÎ, without a word said on either
side. At last, however, their patience exhausted, they came to
high words ; from words they proceeded to menaces, and it would
doubtless have come to a fight, had not an old Lama, attracted by
the uproar, interposed words of peace, and himself put the auto-
maton in motion for the joint benefit of both parties.

Besides the pilgrims whose devotion is exercised within or
about the Lamaseries, you find many who have undertaken fear-
fully long journies, which ihey execute with a prostration at every
stejj. Sad and lamentable is it to see these unhappy victims of
error enduring, to no purj)Ose, such terrible and painful labours ;
one's heart is pierced with grief, and one's soul impressed with
yearning for the day when these poor Tartars shall consecrate to the
service of the true God that religious energy which they daily
waste upon a vain and lying creed. We had hoped to profit by the
solemnities at Kache-Tchurin to announce the true faith to the
Ortous ; but such was doubtless not the will of God, since He had
permitted us to lose our way on the very day which seemed most
favourable for our project. We accordingly passed through the
Lamasery of Rache-Tchurin without stopping, eager as we were
to arrive at the very source of that immense superstition, of which,
as yet, we had only witnessed a few shallow streams.

At a short distance from Eache-Tchurin we reached a road
well marked out, and covered with travellers. It was not, how-
ever, devotion that had set these people in motion, as it had the
pilgrims whom we saw at the Lamasery ; mere matter of business
was leading them towards the Dabsoun-Noor, (the Salt Lake,)
celebrated throughout Western Mantchou, and which supplies
with salt, not only the adjacent Tartars, but also several provinces
of the Chinese Empire.

For a day's journey before you reach Dabsoun-Noor the soil
changes by degrees its form and aspect ; losing its yellow tint, it
becomes insensibly white, as though thinly covered with snow.
The earth swelling in every direction, forms innumerable hillocks,
cone-shaped, and of a regularity so perfect that you might suppose

THIBET, AND CHINA. 205

them to have been constiTicted by the hand of man. Sometimes
they are gi'ouped in heaps, one on the other, like pears piled on a
plate ; they are of all sizes, some but just created, others old,
exhausted, and falling to decay. Around these excrescences gi-ow
creeping thorns, long-pointed, without flowers or leaves, which,
intertwining spirally, surmoiiut them with a sort of net-work cap.
These thorns are never found elsewhere than about these hillocks ;
ujjon those of more recent gi'owth they are firm, vigorous, and full
of shoots. Upon the elder elevations they are diied up, calcined
by the nitre, bnttle, and in shreds.

As you look upon these numerous mounds, covered with a thick
efflorescence of nitre, it is obvious to your sense that beneath the
Burface, and at no gi*eat depth, some great chemical operation is in
progress. Springs, generally so rare in the Ortous country, are
here of fiequent occurrence, but the water is for the most part
excessively salt. Here and there, however, by the very side of
a brackish pool, there is a spring of soft, sweet, delicious water ;
all such are indicated to travellers by a small flag, fluttering from
the end of a long pole.

Dabsoun-Noor is not so much a lake as a reservoir of mineral
salt, mixed with nitrous effloresence. The latter, in colom- pale
white, and cnmibling between the fingers, is easily distinguish-
able from the salt, which is of a grey tint, and glitters Uke crystal
when broken. Dabsoim-Noor is about twenty hs in circumference.
Around it, at intervals, are the tents occupied by the Mongols who
work it, and the Chinese who have thrust themselves in as partners.
It were diflicult indeed to find any desciiption of industry or com-
merce within a certain range of their own coimtiy in which the
Chinese do not contrive to have a hand. The manipulation to
which the salt is subjected requires neither gi-eat labour nor gi'eat
science. All the workers do is to pick it up as it comes in the
reservoir, to pile it, and, when the heap is of a certain size, to cover
it with a thin coating of potter's earth. When the salt has sufii-
ciently purified itself, the Tartars convey it to the nearest Chinese
mart and exchange it for tea, tobacco, brandy, and other com-
modities. In the locality itself salt is of no value : at every step
you see lumps of it, sometimes of remarkable puiity. We filled a
bag with these for our OAvn use and for that of the camels, which
are aU very fond of salt. We traversed Dabsoun-Noor throughout its
breadth from east to west, and we had to take the utmost precau-
tion as we proceeded over its loose, and at times almost moving,
soil. The Tartars recommended us not to deviate in the least from
the path we should find marked out, and by all means to avoid any
places where we should see the water bubbling up, for there they

206 TRAVELS IN TARTAR Y,

informed us, were gulfs winch they had frequently endeavoured
to sound, but without resrdt. This statement induced us to belieTS
til at there is a noor, or lake, here, but that it is underground, the
place called Dabsoun-Noor being merely the covering or roof of the
lake, composed of the saline and saltpetrous matter produced by
the constant evaporation of the subterranean waters. Foreign
matter, brought by the wind, and consolidated by the rain, would
in the lapse of time form a crust upon such a roof strong enough to
bear the caravans that incessantly traverse Dabsoun-Noor.

This great salt mine seems to jDervade with its influence the
whole Ortous district, throughout whose extent the water is brack-
ish, the soil arid, and the surface encnisted with saline matter.
This absence of lich pasturage and fresh water is very adverse to
the growth of cattle; but the camel, whose robust and hardy tem-
perament adapts itself to the most sterile regions, affords compensa-
tion to the Tartars of the Ortous. This animal, a perfect treasure
to the dwellers in the desert, can remain a fortnight, or even a
month, without eating or drinking. However wretched the land
may be on which it is put to feed, it can always find wherewith to
satisfy its hunger, especially if the soil be impregnated with salt or
nitre. Things that no other animal will touch, to it are welcome ;
briars and thorns, diy wood itself, supply it with efficient food.

Though it costs so little to keep, the camel is of an utility
inconceivable to those who are not acquainted with the countries
in which Providence has placed it. Its ordinary load is from 700
to 800 lbs., and it can carry this load ten leagues a day. Those,
indeed, which are employed to carry dispatches, are expected to
travel eighty leagues per diem, but then they only carry the dis-
patch bearer. In several countries of Tartary the carriages of the
kings and princes are drawn by camels, and sometimes they are
harnessed to palanquins ; but this can only be done in the level
country. The fleshy nature of their feet does not permit them to
climb mountains, when they have a caiTiage or litter of any sort to
draw after them.

The training of the young camel is a business requiring great
care and attention. For the first week of its life it can neither
stand nor suck without some helping hand. Its long neck is then
of such excessive flexibility and fragility, that it nms the risk of
dislocating it, unless some one is at hand to sustain the head while
it sucks the teats of its dam.

The camel, born to servitude, seems impressed from its birth,
with a sense of the yoke it is destined to bear through life. You
never see the young camel playing and frolicking about, as you see
kids, colts, and other young animals. It is always grave, melan-

THIBET, AKD CHINA. 207

choly, and slow in its movements, which it never hastens, unless
under compulsion. In the night, and often in the day also, it sends
forth a mournful cry, like that of an infant in pain. It seems to
feel that joy or recreation are not within its portion ; that its inevi-
table career is forced labour and long fastings, until death shall
relieve it.

The maturation of the camel is a long affair. It cannot cany
even a single rider, until its thii-d year; and it is not in full vigour
until it is eight years old. Its trainers then begin to try it with
loads, gradually heavier and heavier. If it can rise with its burden,
this is a proof that it can caiTy it throughout the journey. "When
that journey is only of brief duration, they sometimes load the
animal in excess, and then they aid it to rise by means of bars and
levers. The camel's capacity for labour endures for a long time.
Provided that at certain periods of the year it is allowed a short
holiday for pasturing at its leisui'e, it will continue its service for
fidly fifty years,

Natm-e has provided the camel with no means of defence against
other animals, unless you may so consider its piercing, prolonged
cry, and its huge, shapeless, ugly frame, which resembles, at a
distance, a heap of ruins. It seldom kicks, and when it does, it
almost as seldom inflicts any injury. Its soft, fleshy foot cannot
wound, or even bruise you ; neither can the camel bite an antago-
nist. In fact, its only practical means of defence against man or
beast is a sort of vehement sneeze, wherewith it discharges, fi-om
nose and mouth, a mass of filth against the object which it seeks to
intimidate or to annoy.

Yet the entire male camels, bore as the Tartars call them,
{temen being the generic appellation of the animal), are very for-
midable during the twelfth moon, which is their nitting time. At
this period, their eyes are inflamed; an oily, fetid humour exhales
trom their heads; their mouths are constantly foaming; and they
eat and drink absolutely notliing whatever. In this state of excite-
ment they iTish at whatever presents itself, man or beast, with a
fierceness of precipitation which it is impossible to avoid or to resist;
and when they have overthrown the object they have pursued, thay
pound it beneath the weight of their bodies. The epoch passed,
the camel resumes its ordinaiy gentleness, and the routine of its
laborious career.

The females do not produce young until their sixth or seventh
year; the period of gestation is fomleen months. The Tartai'S geld
most of their male camels, which, by this operation, acquire a
greater development of strength, height, and size. Their voices
become at the same time thinner and lower, in some instances

208 TEAVELS IN TAETART,

wholly lost ; and the hair is shorter and finer than that of the entire
camels.

The awkward aspect of the camel, the excessive stench of its
hreath, its heavy, ungraceful movements, its projecting hare-lips,
the callosities which disfigui'e various parts of its body, all contri-
bute to render its appearance repulsive ; yet its extreme gentleness
and docility, and the services it renders to man, render it of pre-
eminent utility, and make us forget its deformity.

Notwithstanding the apparent softness of its feet, the camel can
walk upon the most rugged ground, upon sharp flints, or thorns,
or roots of trees, without wounding itself. Yet, if too long a jour-
ney is continuously imposed upon it, if after a certain march you
do not give it a few days' rest, the outer skin wears off, the flesh is
bared, and the blood flows. Under such distressing circumstances,
the Tartars make sheep-skin shoes for it, but this assistance is
unavailing without rest; for if you attempt to compel the camel
to proceed, it lies down, and you are compelled either to remain
with or to abandon it.

There is nothing which the camel so dreads as wet, marshy
ground. The instant it places its feet upon anything like mud, it
slips and slides, and, generally, after staggering about like a
drunken man, falls heaAaly on its sides.

When about to repose, it kneels down, folds its fore legs sym-
metrically under its body, and stretches out its long neck before it
on the ground. In this position, it looks just like a monstrous
snail.

Eveiy year, towards the close of spring, the camel sheds its hair,
every individual bristle of which disappears before a single sprout of
the new stock comes up. For twenty days the animal remains com-
pletely bare, as though it had been closely shaved all over, from
the top of the head to the extremity of the tail. At this juncture, it
is excessively sensitive to cold or wet; and you see it, at the slightest
chillness in the air or the least drop of rain, shivering and shaking
in every limb, like a man without clothes exposed on the snow.
By degrees the new hair shows itself, in the form of fine, soft,
curling wool, which gi'adually becomes a long, thick fur, capable of
resisting the extremest inclemency of the weather. The great-
est delight of the animal is to walk in the teeth of the north wind,
or to stand motionless on the summit of a hill, beaten by the storm
and inhaling the icy wind. Some naturalists say that the camel
cannot exist in cold countries; these writers must have wholly
forgotten the Tartarian camels, which, on the contrary, cannot
endiu-e the least heat, and which certainly could not exist in
Arabia.

THIBET, AND CHTNA. 209

The hair of an ordinary camel weighs about ten pounds. It is
sometimes finer than silk, and always longer than sheep's wool.
The hair growing below the neck and on the legs of the entire
camels is rough, bushy, and in colour black, whereas that of the
ordinary camel is red, gi'ey, and white. The Tartars make no sort
of use of it. In the places where the animals pasture, you see
great sheets of it, looking like dirty rags, driven about by the wind,
until they are collected in sheltered corners, in the hill sides. The
utmost use the Tartars make of it is to twist some of it into cord,
or into a sort of canvas, of which they construct sacks and carpets.

The milk of the camel is excellent, and supplies large quantities^
of butter and cheese. The flesh is hard, unsavoury, and little
esteemed by the Tartars. They use the hump, however, which,
cut into slices, and dissolved in tea, serves the purpose of butter.
It is known that Heliogabalus had camel's flesh served up at his
banquets, and that he was very fond of camel's feet. We cannot
speak as to the latter dish, which the Roman Emperor piqued
himself upon having invented, but we can distinctly aflirm that
camel's flesh is detestable.

KONGOL BUTCHER.

CHAPTER X.

Purchase of a Sheep — A Mongol 'Butcher — ^<3rreat Feast à la Tariare^-TartET
Veterinary Surgeons — Strange Cure of a Cow — Depth of the Wells of the
Ortous — Manner of Watering the Animals — Encampment at the Hundred
Weils — Meeting with the King of tlie Alechan — Annual Embassies of the
Tartar Sovereigns to Peking — Grand Ceremony in the Temple of the Ancestors
— The Emperor gives Counterfeit Money to the Mongol Kings — Inspecticm of
©ur Geographical Map — The Devil's Cistern — Purification of the Water — A
Lame Dog — Curious Aspect of -the Mountains — Passage .of the Yellow River,

The environs of the Dabsoun-Noor abound in flocTis of goats and
sheep. These animals hke to browse on the furze and thorny
bushes, the sole vegetation of these barren steppes ; they especially
delight in those nitrous efflorescences whic^h are found here on all
sides in the utmost abundance. The soil, miserable as it is in other
respects, seems very favourable to the growth of these animals,
which enter largely into the consumption of the Tartars, constituting
indeed the basis of their food. If bought on the spot, they are of very
moderate price. As we calculated that a pound of meat woidd cost us
less than a pound of flour, we resolved, as a matter of economy, to buy
a sheep. The thing was not difficult to find ; but as it would of

TRAr\ŒLS FN TAETAEY, 211

oj3urse oblige us io stop, at least for a day, we waited till we shoTild
come to some jilace, not quite barren, and where our animals could
find some pasturage to browse upon.

Two days after crossing Dabsoun-Noor, we entered a long nar-
row valley, where some Mongol families had stationed themselves,
'.rhe earth was covered with a close herb, which, in form and cha-
racter, liad much resemblance to thyme. Our beasts, as they pro-
reeded, browsed fuitively, right and left, on this plant, and seemed
U) be very fond of it This new pastiu'age gave us the idea of encami>
ing on the spot. Not far from a tent, a Lama was sitting on a
hillock, making ropes with camel's hair. " Brother," said we as
we approached him, " the flock upon that hill doubtless belongs to
you. Will you sell us a sheep?" "Certainly," he answered, "I
will let you have an excellent «heep ; as to the price, we shall not
quarrel about that. We men of prayer are not like merchants."'
He indicated to us a spat near his own tent, and unloaded our
?;>easts. The entire family of the Lama, when they heard the cries
rif our camels, hastened to assist us to encamp. We, indeed, were
not allowed to do anything to it ; for our new friends took delight
m making themselves useful, in unsaddling the beasts, pitching
the tent, and putting oiu- baggage in order within.

The young Lama, who had received us with so much kindness,
after having unsaddled the horse and the mule, perceived that
both these beasts were hurt a little on the back. " Brothers," he
said, " here is a bad business; and as you are upon a long joiuniey,
it must be remedied, or you will nx)t be able to go on." So say-
ing, he took the knife, which hung from his girdle, shai-pened it
with rapidity upon his boot-tops, took our saddles to pieces, exa-
mined the rough parts of the wood, and pared them away on both
sides till he had removed the slightest unevenness. He then put
together again, with wonderful skill, all the pieces of the saddles,
and retmned them to us. " That will do," said he ; " now you may
ti'avel in peace." This operation was effected rapidly and in the
readiest manner possible. The Lama was then about to fetch the
sheep ; but as it was ah-eady late, we said it was urinecessary, for
that we should remain a whole day in his valley.

Next morning, before w^ were awake, the Lama opened the
«ioor of our tent, laughing so loud that he aroused us. " Ah,**
said he, " I see plainly that you do not intend to depart to-day.
The sun is abeady veiy high, and you sleep still." We rose quickly,
and as «oon as we were dressed, the Lama spok<3 of the sheep.
" Come to the flock," he said ; '.' you may choose at your pleasure."
" No, go by youi'self, and select a sheep for us yourself. At j)resent
we have an occupation. With us, Lamas of the Westei-n sky, it is

212 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

a rule to pray as soon as we rise." "Oh, what a fine thing!"
said the Lama; " oh, the holy rules of the West !" His admiration,
however, did not make him forget his little affair of business. He
mounted his horse and rode towards a flock of sheep which we saw
undulating upon the slope of a hill.

We had not yet finished our prayers when we heard the Tartar
returning at full gallop. He had fastened the sheep to the back of
his saddle, like a portmanteau. Hardly arrived at the door of our
tent, he dismounted ; and in the twinkling of an eye he had jDut
upon its four legs the poor sheep, quite astounded at the ride it
had been favoured with. " That is the sheep ; is it not fine ? Does
it suit you ? " " Admirably. What is the price ? " " One ounce ;
is that too much ? " Considering the size of the animal, we thought
the price moderate. " You ask an ounce ; here is an ingot, which
is just of the weight you require. Sit down for a moment; we will
fetch our scales, and you shall ascertain whether this piece of
silver really weighs an ounce." At these words the Lama drew
back, and cried, stretching out both hands towards us : " Above
there is a heaven, below there is the earth, and Buddha is the
lord of all things. He wills that, men behave towards each other
like brothers; you are of the West, I am of the East. Is that any
reason why the intercourse between us should not be frank and
honourable ? You have not cheapened my sheep : I take your
money without weighing it." " An excellent principle," said we.
" As you will not weigh the money, pray sit, nevertheless, for a
moment ; we will take a cup of tea together and talk over a little
matter." " I know what you mean ; neither you nor I may cause
the transmigration of this living being. We must find a layman
who knows how to kill sheep. Is it not so ? " and without awaiting
an answer, he added, "another thing; from your aj)pearance, one
may easily guess that you are no great hands at cutting up sheep
and prej^aring them." "You aie not mistaken," we answered,
laughing. " Well, keep the sheep tied to your tent ; and for the rest,
rely upon me ; I shall be back in a minute." He mounted his
horse, went off at full gallop and disappeared in a bend of the vale.

According to his promise, the Lama soon returned. He went
straight to his tent, tied his horse to a post, took off his saddle,
bridle and halter, gave it a cut with his whip, and so sent it off to
pasture. He went into his tent for a little while, and then ap-
peared with all the members of his family, that is to say, his old
mother and two younger brothers. They advanced slowly towards
our tent, in truly ridiculous fashion, just as if they were going to
remove all their furniture. The Lama carried on his head a large
pot, which covered him as with an enormous hat. His mother had

THIBET, AND CHINA. 2i3

on her back a large basket, filled with argols. The two young
Mongols followed with a trivet, an h'on s^ioon, and several other
minor kitchen implements. At this sight, Samdadchiemba was full
of joy, for he saw before Mm a whole day of poetry.

When the entire batterie de cuisine was arranged in open air,
the Lama invited us, in his politeness, to go and repose in om* tent
for awhile. He judged from our air, that we could not, without de-
rogation, be jiresent at the approaching scene of butchering. The
suggestion, how^ever, did not meet our views, and we requested that
if we could do so without inconveniencing them, we might sit down
on the grass at a respectful distance, and with the promise that we
would not touch anything. After some objections, perceiving that
we were cmious to be spectators, they dispensed with the etiquette
of the matter.

The Lama seemed anxious; he kept looking towards the north
of the valley, as if expecting some one. '' All right," he said at
last, with an ah- of satisfaction, " here he comes." " Who comes?
Of whom do you speak?" " I forgot to tell you that I had been
just now to invite a layman to come, who is very skilful in killing
a sheep. There he is." We rose and perceived, indeed, something
movhig among the heath of the valley. At first we could not
clearly distinguish what it was, for though it advanced with some
rapidity, the object did not seem to enlai-ge. At last the most sin-
gular person we had ever met with in our lives presented himself to
our view. We were obliged to make the utmost efforts to repress
the strong impulse to laughter that cam.e upon us. This layman
seemed to be about fifty years old, but his height did not exceed
three feet. On the top of his head, which terminated like a sugar-
loaf, rose a small tuft of badly combed haii-; a grey, thin beard
descended in disorder down his chin. Finally, two prominences,
one on his back, the other on his breast, communicated to this little
butcher a perfect resemblance with Jisop, as he appears in valions
editions of the '' Fables de la Fontaine."

The strong sonorous voice of the layman was in singular con-
trast with the exiguity of his thin, stunted frame. He did not lose
much time in saluting the company. After having darted his small
black eyes at the slieep, which was tied to one of the nails of our
tent, he said: " Is this the beast you wish to have put in order?"
And while feeling its tail in order to judge its fat, he gave it a turn,
and placed it on its back with remarkable dexterity. He next tied
together its legs ; then, while uncovering his right arm by throwing
back the sleeve of his leathern coat, he asked whether the operation
was to be effected in the tent or outside? " Outside," said we.
" Outside, very well, outside;" so saving, he drew from a leathern

âl4 TS^VELS m TARTAR Y,

sheatli, suspended from his sash, a knife with a large handle, hut
whose hlade hy long use had hecome thin and narrow. After
haTing examined for a moment its point with his thumh, he plunged
it to the hilt into the side of the sheep, and drawing it out quite
red, the sheep was dead, dead at once, without making any move-
ment; not a single drop of hlood had spouted from the wound.
We were greatly astonished at this,, and asked the httle man how
he managed to kill a sheep so very easily and quickly» " We
Tartars," he said, " do not kill in the same way as the Kitat; they
cut the throat, we go straight to the heart. By our method, the
animal suffers less, and all the blood is, as it should he, retained in
the interior."

The transmigration once operated, nobody had any fiu-ther
scruples. Our Dchiahour and the Tartar Lama turned back their
sleeves, and advanced to assist the little butcher. The sheep was
skinned with admirable celerity. Meantime the mother of the
Lama had made the two pots boil. She now took the entrails of
the sheep, washed them pretty clean, and then, with the blood
which she took from the interior of the sheep by means of a large
wooden spoon, prepared some puddings, the basis of which was
the never-failing oatmeal. " Sirs Lamas," said the little layman,
" shall I bone the sheep ?" Upon our answering in the affirmative,
he had the animal hooked upon the tent, for he was not big enough
to perform that operation himself; he then mounted upon a large
stone, and passing his knife rapidly along the bones, he detached,
in one piece, all the meat, so as to leave dangling from the tent a
mere skeleton, clean, cleared, and nicely polished.

While the little layman was, according to his expression, putting
in order the flesh of the sheep, the rest of the company had pre-
pared a gala in the Tartar fashion. The young Lama was director
of the feast. " Now," he cried, " let us all sit round; the great
pot is going to be emptied." Forthwith eveiyone sat down upon
the turf. The old Mongol woman plunged both hands into the pot,
which was boiling over, and drew out all the intestines — the liver,
the heart, the kidneys, the spleen, and the bowels, stuffed with
blood and oatmeal. In this gastronomical preparation, the most
remarkable thing was, that all the intestines had been retained in
their integrity, so that they presented themselves much as they are
seen in the living beast. The old woman served up, or rather
threw this splendid dish upon the lawn, which was at once our
chair, table, plate, and, in case of need, our napkin. It is unneces-
sary to add, that we used om' fingers instead of forks. Eveiyone
seized with his hands a portion of the bowels, twisted it from the
mass, and devoured it without seasoning or salt.

THIBET, AND CHINA. 215

The two French missionaries were not able, despite thek utmost
willingness, to do honour to this Tartar dish. Fii'st we burned our
fingers when we tried to toucii the hot and smoking repast. Al-
though our guests urged that it ought not to be ahowed to grow
cold, we waited a little, afraid of burning our lips also. At last
we tasted these puddings of sheep's blood and oatmeal, but after
getting down a few mouthsfiil, we were quite satisfied. Never,
perhaps, had we eaten anything so utterly tasteless and insipid.
Samdadchiemba, having foreseen this, had withdra^vn from the
common dish, the liver and the kidneys, which he j)laced before us,
with some salt, which he had previously crushed between two
stones. We were thus enabled to keep pace with the company,
who, with a devouring ap2>etite, were swallowing the vast system
of enti-ails.

When the whole had disappeared, the old woman brought up
the second service, by placing in the midst of us the lai'ge pot in
which the puddings had been cooked. Instantly all the members
of the banquet invited each other, and every one taking fi-om his
bosom his wooden porringer, ladled out bumpers of a smoking,
salt liquid, which they dignified with the pompous name of sauce.
As we did not wish to appear eccentric, or as if we despised the
Tartar cuisine, we did like the rest. We f)lunged our porringer into
the pot, but it was only by the most laudable efi'orts that we could
get down this gi-een stufi', which gave us the idea of half masticated
grass. The Tartars, on the contiary, found it delicious, and readily
reached the bottom of the extempore tureen, not stopping for a
moment, till nothing was left — not a drop of sauce, not an inch of
pudding.

When the feast was finished, the little layman took leave,
receiving as liis fee the four feet of the sheep. To this fee, fixed
by the old custom of the Mongols, we added, as a supplement,
a handful of tea leaves, for we desired that he should long remem-
ber and talk to his countrymen of the generosity of the Lamas of
the Western sky

Every one having now thoroughly regaled, our neighbours took
their kitchen utensils and returned home, except the young Lama,
who said he would not leave us alone. After much talk about the
east and the west, he took down the skeleton, which was still hanging
at the entrance of the tent, and amused liimself with reciting, or
rather singing, the nomenclature of all the bones, large and small,
that compose the frame of the sheep. He perceived that om* know-
ledge on this subject was very limited, and this extremely astonished
him; and we had the greatest trouble to make him understand,
that in our countiy ecclesiastical studies had for their object more

216 THAVELS IN TARTARY,

serious and important matters than the names and number of the
bones of a sheep.

Every Mongol knows the number, the name, and the position
of the bones which compose the frame of animals ; and thus they
never break the bones when they are cutting up an ox or a sheep.
With the point of their large knife they go straight and at once to
the juncture of the bones and separate them with astonishing skill
and celerity. These frequent dissections, and especially,the habit of
being every day amongst then flocks, make the Tartars well acquainted
with the diseases of animals, and skilful in then- cm'e. The remedies,
which they employ internally, are always simples gathered in the
prairie, and the decoction of which they make the sick animals
chink. For this purpose, they use a large cow-horn. When they
have contrived to insert the small end of this into the mouth of the
animal, they pom* the physic in at the other extremity, as through
a funnel. If the beast persists in not opening its mouth, the liquid
is administered through the nostrils. Sometimes the Tartars em-
ploy a lavement in their treatment of the diseases of animals ; but
their instruments are still of primitive simplicity. A cow's horn
serves for the pipe, and the pinnp is a great bladder, worked by
squeezing it.

Internal remedies, however, are not very often applied; the
Tartars make more frequent use of punctures and incisions in
different parts of the body. Some of these operations are extremely
ludicrous. One day, when we had pitched om' tent beside a Mongol
dwelling, a Tartar brought to the chief of the family a cow, which,
he said, would not eat, and which was pining away day by day.
The chief examined the animal, opened its mouth, and rubbed its
fore teeth with his naO. " Fool, blockhead," said he to the man
who had come to ask his advice, "why did not you come before?
Your cow is on the verge of death ; there is scarce a day's life more
in her. Yet, there may be tried one means : I will attempt it. If
your cow dies, you will say it is your own fault ; if it recovers, you
wiU regard it as a great favour from Hormousdlia, operated by my
skill." He called some of his slaves, and ordered them to keep a
tirm hold of the beast, while he was operating upon it. Then he
entered his tent, whence he soon returned, armed with a nail and a
great hammer. We waited with impatience this strange chirm'gical
operation, which was to be performed with a nail and a hammer.
While several Mongols held the cow, in order to prevent its running
away, the operator placed the nail under its belly, and then di'ove
it in up to the head with a^ violent stroke of the hammer. Next, he
seized with both hands the tail of the cow, and ordered those who
were holding it to let go. Instantly, the animal that had been so very

THIBET, AND CHINA. 217

singularly operated upon, dashed off, dragging after it the veterinary
Tartar, clinging to its tail. In tliis fashion, they ran nearly a li.
The Tartar then quitted his victim, and came quietly back to us,
who were quite amazed at this new method of curing cows. He
declared there was no further danger for the beast; for he had
ascertained, he said, by the stiffness of the tail, the good eflect of
the feiTuginous medicine he had administered.

The Tartar veterinarians sometimes perform their operations at
the belly, as we have just seen ; but it is more generally, with the
head, ears, temple,- upper lip,, and about the eyes that they deal.
The latter operation is principally had recourse to, in the disease
which the Tartars call Hen's dung, to which mules are gTeatly
subject. When this disease breaks out, the animals leave off eating,
and fall into extreme weakness, so that they can hardly keep
themselves on their legs; fleshy excrescences, similar to the excre-
ments of poultry, grow under the lids, in the corners of the eyes.
If these excrescences are I'emovedin time, the mules are saved, and
recover by degi'ees their original vigour; if not,, they pine for a few
days, and then die.

Although cupping and bleeding have great place in the vete-
rinary art of the Tartars, you must not suppose that they have at
their disposal fine collections of instruments, such as those of
Euroj)ean operators. Most of them have nothing but then- ordi-
nary knife, or the smaU iron awl, which they keep in their girdle,
and which they use daily to clear their, pipes, and mend their
saddles and leathern boots.

The young Lama who had sold us the sheep, spent a gi'eat part
of the day in telling us anecdotes, more or less piquant and curious,
about the veterinary science in which he seemed to be very skilful.
Moreover, he gave us important instructions concerning the road
we had to pursue. He settled the stages we ought to make., and
indicated the places where we should enca,mp, so as to prevent omt
dying from thirst.. We bad still before us in. the country of the
Ortous, a journey of about fourteen days ;. in all that time we should
find neither rivulet, nor spring,, nor cistern.; but only, at certain
distances, wells of an extraordinary depth ; some of them distant
from each other two days' march, so that we should have to carry
with us our provision of water.

Next morning, after having paid ovu* respects to the Tartar
family, who had shown us so much kindness, we proceeded on our
way. Towards evening, when it was nearly time to pitch our tent,
we perceived in the distance a large {issemblage of various herds.
Thinking that one of the indicated wells lay probably there, we
bent our steps in, the direction, and. soon found that we were

218 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

correct in our anticipatior ; the water was before us. The beasts
were collected from every quarter, waiting to be watered. We
halted accordingly, and set up our encampment. As we gazed
upon the assembled flocks, and the well, the covering of which was
a large stone, we recalled with pleasure the passage of Genesis,
which relates the journey of Jacob in Mesopotamia, to Laban, son
of Bathuel the Syrian.

" Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of
the people of the east.

"And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there
were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they
watered the flocks : and a great stone was upon the well's mouth.

" And thither were all the flocks gathered : and they rolled the
stone fi-om the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the
stone again upon the well's mouth in its place." ^

The wooden troughs placed around the well, reminded us of the
other passage, where the meeting of Eebecca with the servant of
Abraham is related.

" And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will
draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.

" And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough,
and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his
camels." ^

One cannot travel in Mongolia, amongst a pastoral and nomad
population, without one's mind involuntarily going back to the
time of the first patriarch, whose pastoral life had so close a relation
with the manners and customs which we still find amongst the
Mongol tribes. But how sad and painful do these coincidences
become, when we reflect that these unfortunate people are still
ignorant of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

We had scarcely pitched our tent, and arranged our modest
kitchen, when we saw several Tartar horsemen advancing at full
gallop. They were coming to draw water and give it to the nume-
rous flocks that had been long awaiting them. These animals,
which had hitherto stood at a distance, seeing the shepherds
approach, hastened to the spot, and soon all were grouped round
the well, eager to quench their thirst. This large assemblage of
animals, so numerous and so various, created an agitation, a tumult
to which we were quite unused amid the silent solitude of the
desert ; and it was perhaps on account of its novelty that this con-
fusion was, to us, full of entertainment. It was amusing to see the
lialf-tamed horses pushing and struggling to arrive first at the well ;

1 Gen.xxix., 1— 3. 2 Gen. xxi v., 19, 20.

THIBET, ASD CHINA. 219

then, instead of drinking in j^eace, biting, quarrelling, and even
leaving the water in order to pursue each other on the plain. The
scene was especially entertaining and picturesque, when an enor-
mous camel came iforward, spreading alarm round the weU, and
driving away the vulgar herd by its despotic presence.

There were four Mongol shepherds ; while two of them, armed
with a long rod, ran about tiying to effect a little order among
the flocks, the two others drew the water in a manner which greatly
excited our surprise. First, the utensil they used by way of pail,
appeared to us very remarkable ; it was the entire skin of a goat,
solidly fastened at the four feet, the only opening being at the neck.
A hoop kept this orifice open; a long, strong rope of camel's hair
was fastened at one end to the wooden handle that crossed the
diameter of the orifice, and at the other end to the saddle of the
horse ridden by one of the Tartars, who, when the skin was filled
rode off", and thus hauled up the bucket to the edge of the well,
where it was received by another man, who emptied its contents
into the troughs.

The well was of astonishing depth ; the rope used to raise the
bucket seemed more than :200 feet long. Instead of running in a
pulley, it went right over a large stone, in which a large gi'oove
w^as already made by the constant fiiction. Although the drawing
up of the water was performed with great activity, it was nearly
dark before all the flock had been watered; we then brought our
five animals to participate in the general banquet, and the Tartars
had the complaisance to draw water also for us; otherwise, it is
probable we should never have got it, but have been obliged to
suffer thirst beside an abundant well.

These Tartars did not seem contented, like those we had met with
in the other parts of Mongolia; we saw they were very depressed at
being obliged to spend their lives in such a banen country, where
pasturage is so very scarce and water still rarer. They talked to us
of the Mongol kingdoms through which we had passed, and where
it was so easy, so agreeable indeed, to feed animals. " Oh, how
happy are the inhabitants of these countries! " said they. "How
fortunate were we, could we spend our days amidst those rich
pasturages."

Before they returned to theh' dwelling, which lay behind a high
moimtain, these Tartars told us that we ought to depart next
morning before daybreak, for that we should not find any water
until we came to the Hundred Wells, which was distant a himdred
and fifty lis (fifteen leagues).

Dawn had not yet appeared when we left. The country was,
as before, sandy, barren, and dismal. About noon we halted, iu

220 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

order to take a little food, and to make tea with tlie water we had
brought with us on one of the camels. Night was setting in before
we reached the Hundred Wells; our poor animals could hardly
move for hunger and fatigue; yet, at all cost, we were obliged
to reach the encampment. To remain where we were would have
caused infinite wretchedness. At last we came to the wells, and
without troubling ourselves to ascertain whether or no there were
a hundred of them, as the Tartar name of the place imported,
we hastened to pitch our tent. Happily the well was not so deep
as that we had seen the night before. Oiu- first care was to draw
some water for the horse and the mule ; but when we went to lead
them to the trough, we did not find them near the tent, where they
usually stood to be unsaddled. This misfortune occasioned us
an alarm that made us forget the fatigues of the day. We had,
it is true, no fear of robbeis, for in this respect no country is more
safe than the Ortous; but we thought that our animals, thirsty
as they were, had run away in search of water. They will go,
meditated we, till they have found water; perhaps they will go
without stopping to the frontiers of the Ortous to the very banks
of the Yellow Eiver.

The night was quite dark ; nevertheless, we thought it proper
to go instantly in search of our horses, while Samdadchiemba was
preparing supper. We wandered about for a long time in all
directions without seeing anything; ever and anon we stojDped to
listen vvhether we could distinguish the sound of the bells sus-
pended from the horse's neck ; but our efforts were vain ; nothing
interrupted the dead silence of the desert. We went on, without
losing courage, still hoping to find animals so very necessary to us,
and the loss of which would have placed us in such difficulties.
Sometunes we fancied we heard in the distance the tinkling of the
bells. Then we laid flat down, applying our ears to the earth, in
order to catch more readily the shghtest noise that might occur;
but it was all in vain ; our search was fruitless.

The fear of losing our way in a dark night in a country, the
bearings of which we had not been able to examine, made us think of
retracing our steps. Judge of our consternation when, on turning
round, we perceived, apparently in the place where we had pitched
our tent, a large volume of flame and smoke rising. We did not
doubt for an instant that Samdadchiemba also had set out in search of
the animals, and that in his absence the tent had caught fire. Oh,
how sad and discouiaging was that moment. In the middle of the
desert, at two thousand lis' distance from oiu* Christendom, we con-
templated without hope those flames consuming our tent, our sole
shelter against the inclemency of the weather. " Alas ! " we said.

THIBET, AÎJD CHINA. SQl

"the tent is certainh' destroyed, and doubtless all tliat was in it
has also become a prey to the flames."

We mournfully directed our steps to the place of our encamp-
ment. Though anxious to ascertain our misfortune, we advanced
slowly, for we were, at the same time, afraid to approach the fearful
spectacle, destructive of our plans, and plunging us into misery of
every description. As we advanced, we heard loud cries ; at last
we distinguished the voice of Samdadchiemba, apparently calling
for assistance. Imagining that we could still save something from
the conflagration, we hastened to the spot, calling out, at the pitch
of our voices, that we were coming. When we at last arrived at
tlie encampment, we stood for an instant quite stupified upon
seeing Samdadchiemba quietly seated beside an immense fire, and
drinking with the greatest satisfaction bumpers of tea. The tent
was untouched, and all oiu- animals lying around it: there had
been no conflagi-ation at all. The Dchiahour, having found the
horse and the mule, had imagined that, having doubtless got to
some distance, we should have a difficulty in finding our way back
to the encampment, and therefore he had made a large fire to direct
our steps, and sent forth vehement cries inviting us to return.
AVe had so fully believed in the reality of our misfortune that, on
beholding om- tent again, we seemed to pass at once from the
extreme of misery to the height of happiness.

As the night had already made considerable progi'ess, we
hastened to eat, with excellent appetite, the soup that Samdad-
chiemba had prepared, and then laid down upon our goatskins,
where we enjoyed a profound sleep till daybreak.

On getting up next morning a glance around the encampment
diffused a sliudder of terror through all our limbs ; for we found
ourselves surrounded on every side by deep .wells. We liad
been, indeed, told that we should not find water imtil we reached
the place called Hundred Wells, but we had never imagined,
that this denomination. Hundred Wells, was to be taken literally.
When we had pitched our tent the night before, it was too dark for
us to remark the presence of these numerous precipices, and ac-
cordingly we had taken no precautions. When we went out in
search of our stray animals we had, without knowing it, made
a thousand turnings and windings amongst these deep pits ; and
that we had thus walked in a dark night, witliout any accident,
could only be attributed to a special protection of Providence.
Before our departure, therefore, we planted a small wooden cross
on the brink of one of these wells, as a sign of our thankfulness for
the goodness of God.

After having made our usual breakfast, we proceeded. Towards

222

TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

ENCAJIPMEN

iDIlF.D -nKI.IS.

noon we perceived before us a great multitude issuing from a
narrow defile, formed by two precipitous mountains. We were lost
in conjecture as to what this numerous and imposing caiavan
could be. Innumerable camels, laden with baggage, advanced in
single file, one after the other, escorted on either side by a number
of horsemen, who, in the distance, appeared to be richly attired.
We slackened our pace, to obtain a nearer view of this caravan,
which appeared to us a very strange affair.

It was still a considerable distance off, when four horsemen,
who formed a sort of vanguard, galloped on towards us. They
were all foui' Mandarins, as we perceived from the blue button
which surmounted their cap of ceremony. " Sirs llamas," they
said, " peace be with you ! Towards what point of the earth do
you direct your steps ?" " We are of the West, and it is to the West

THIBET, AND CHINA. 223

we are going. And you, brothers of Mongolia, wliither do you
travel in so large a troop, and in such magnificent apparel?"
*' We are from the kingdom of Alechan, and our king is making
a jom-ney to Peking to prostrate himself at the feet of Him who
dwells above the sky." After these few words the four horsemen
rose somewhat in their saddles, saluted, and then returned to their
position at the head of the caravan.

We had thus encountered on his way the King of Alechan,
repamng to Peking with his gorgeous retinue, to be present at the
great meeting of the tributary princes, wdio, on the first day of the
first moon, are bound to offer the compliments of the new year to the
Emperor. Behind the vauguaixl came a j^alanquin earned by two
splendid mules, harnessed, the one before, the other behind, to gilt
shafts. The palanquin was square, plain, and by no means elegant;
its roof was adorned with some silk fringe, and its four panels were
decorated with some pictm-es of dragons, birds, and nosegays. The
Tartar monarch was sitting, not upon a seat, but with his legs
crossed, in tbe oriental fashion. He seemed to be about fifty years
old ; and his full round features gave to his ]3hysiognoray a remai-k-
able air of good nature. As he passed us, we ciied : " King of the
Alechan, peace and happiness be on your way ! " " Men of
prayer," he ansv/ered, " may you also be at peace," and he accom-
panied these words with a friendly salute. An old white-bearded
Lama, mounted upon a magnificent horse, led the fore mule of the
palanquin ; he was considered the guide of the whole caravan.
Generally, the gi'eat marches of the Tartars are under the guidance
of the most venerable of the Lamas of the district; for these people
are persuaded, that they have nothing to fear on then- way, so long
as they have at their head, a representative of the divinity, or rather
the divinity himself incarnate in the person of the Lama.

A great number of horsemen, who suiTounded, as a guard of
honour, the royal palanquin, made their horses curvet incessantly,
and dash up and down, in and out, from one side to the other, with-
out ever stopping in their rapid movements. Immediately behind
the cai-riage of the king, came a white camel of extraordinary beauty
and size ; a young Tartar, on foot, led it by a silken string. This
camel was not laden. From the tip of each hump, which looked
like two pp'amids, floated pieces of yellow taffeta. There was no
doubt, that this magnificent animal was a present destined for
the Chinese Emperor. The remainder of the troop consisted of
numerous camels, caiTying the baggage, the boxes, tents, pots, the
thousand and one utensils, that are always wanted in a country
where no tavern is to be found.

The caravan had passed on a long time, when meeting with a

224 TRAVELS IN TAETA'RY,

well, we resolved to pitch our teiit beside it. While we were
making our tea, three Tartars, one decorated with the red, the
other with the blue button, alighted at the entrance of our
dwelling. They asked for news of the caravan of the King of the
Alechans. We answered that we had met it a long time since,
that it must already he at a considerable distance, and that it
would doubtless arrive, before night, at the encampment of the
Hundred Wells. " As it is so," they said, " we would rather remain
here, than arrive by night at the Hundred Wells, at the risk of
falling into some hole. To-morrow, by starting a little before day,
vv^e shall reach the caravan."

No sooner said than done : the Tartars forthwith unsaddled their
horses, sent them off to seek their fortune in the desert, and with-
out ceremony took their seat beside our fire. They were all Taitsi
of the kingdom of the Alechan. One of these, he who wore the
cap with the red button, was the king's minister; they all three
belonged to the gieat caravan, but the day before, having started
to visit a friend, a prince of the Ortous, they had been left behind
by the main body.

The minister of the King of Alechan had an open, frank cha-
racter, and a very acute understanding ; he combined Mongol good
nature with vivacious and elegant manners, which he had no
doubt acquired in his frequent visits to Peking. He asked many
questions about the country which the Tartars call the Western
Heaven, and informed us, that every three years a great number
of our countrymen, from the different western kingdoms, rendered
their homage to the Emperor at Peking.

It is needless to observe that, for the most part, the Tartars do
not carry very far their geographical studies. The west means
with them simply Thibet and some adjacent countries, whi(;h they
hear mentioned by the Lamas, who have made the pilgiimage to
Lha-Ssa. They firmly believe that beyond Thibet there is nothing ;
there, say they, is the end of the world; be3^ond, there is merely a
shoreless ocean.

When we had satisfied all the inquiries of the red button, we
addressed some to him about the country of the Alechan, and the
journey to Peking. "■ Every third year all the sovereigns of the
world," said he, "repair to Peking, for the feast of the new year.
Princes who live near, are bound to go thither every year; those
who live at the extremities of the earth, go every second or third
year, according to the distance they have to travel." " What is
your purpose in going every year to Peking ? " " We ourselves go
as the retinue of our king; the king alone enjoys the happiness of
prostrating himself in the presence of the Old Buddha (the Em-

THIBET, AND CHINA. 2 "2 5

l^eror)." He entered then into long details about tlie ceremony of
tlie first ^day of the year, and the relations between the Chinese
Emjjeror and the tributaiy kings.

The foreign sovereigns, under the dominating influence of tlie
China empire, rejjair to Peking; first, as an act of obeisance and
submission : secondly, to pay certain rents to the Emperor, whose
vassals they consider themselves. These rents, which are decorated
with the fine name of ofierings, are, in fact, imposts which no Tartar
king w'ould venture to refuse the payment of. They consist in
camels, in horses remarkable for their beauty, and which the
Emperor sends to augment his immense herds in the Tchakar.
Every Tartar prince is, besides, obliged to bring some of the rarer
productions of his country ; deer, bear and goat venison ; aromatic
plants, jDheasants, mushrooms, fish, &c. As they visit Peking in
the depth of winter, all these eatables are frozen ; so that they bear,
without danger of being spoiled, the trial of a long journey, and even
remain good long after they have arrived at their destination.

One of the Banners of the Tchakar is especially charged with
sending to Peking, every year, an immense provision of pheasant's
eggs. We asked the minister of the King of the Alechan, whether
these pheasant's eggs were of a peculiar flavour, that they -were so
highly appreciated by the court. " They are not destined to be
eaten," he answered ; " the Old Buddha uses them for another
purpose." " As they are not eaten, what are they used for ? " Tlie
'i'artar seemed embarrassed, and blushed somewhat as he replied
that these eggs were used to make a sort of varnish, which the
women of the imperial harem used for the pm-^^ose of smoothing
their hair, and which communicates to it, they say, a peculiar lustre
and brilliancy. Europeans, perhaps, may consider this pomatum of
pheasant's eggs, so highly esteemed at the Chinese court, very nasty
and disgusting ; but beauty and ugliness, the ni(;e and the nasty,
are, as everybody knows, altogether relative and conventional
matters, upon which the various nations that inhabit this earth
have ideas remotest from the uniform.

These annual visits to the Emperor of China are very expensive
and extremely troublesome to the Tartars of the plebeian class,
who are overwhelmed with enforced labour, at the pleasure of their
masters, and are bound to provide a certain number of camels and
horses, to cany the baggage of the king and the nobles. As these
journeys take place in the depth of \vinter, the animals find little
food, especially when, after leaving the Land of Grass, they enter
upon the districts cultivated by the Chinese ; and a great number
of them, accordingly, die on the road. Hence, when the caravan
returns, it is far from being in such good order and condition as w^hen

226 TEAVELS IN TARTARY,

it started ; it presents, one might almost say, merely the skeletons of
the animals. Those which have still retained a little strength are
laden with the baggage necessary on the way; the others are
dragged along by the halter, scarcely able to move one leg before
the other. It is a very sad, and, at the same time, singular thing,
to see the Mongols walking on foot, and leading behind them horses
which they dare not mount for fear of breaking them down.

As soon as the tributary kings are amved at Peking, they re-
pair to the interior of the city, where they inhabit a quarter espe-
cially set apart for them. They are generally two hundred in num-
ber, each of whom has bis palace or inn, which he occupies, with
his retinue. A Mandarin, a grand dignitary of the realm, super-
intends this quarter, and has it in cliarge to maintain peace and
concord amongst these illustrious visitors. The tributes are trans-
ferred to the care of a special Mandarin, whom we may consider as
steward of the household.

Dm-ing their stay at Peking, these monarch s liave no commu-
nication with the Emperor, no solemn audience. Some of them
may perchance obtain admittance to the throne ; but it is only upon
a,fFairs of the highest importance, above the jurisdiction of the
ordinary ministers.

On the first day of the year, however, there is a solemn cere-
mony, at which these two hundred monarchs are admitted to a sort
of contact with their suzerain and master, with him who, as they
phrase it, sitting beneath the sky, rules the four seas and the ten
thousand nations of tlie world by a single act of his will. Accord-
ing to the ritual which regulates the state proceedings of the
Emperor of China, he is bound to visit every year, on the first day
of the first moon, the temple of his ancestors, and to prostrate him-
self before the tablet of his fathers. There is before the entrance of
this temple a long avenue, wherein the tributary princes, who have
come to Peking to render homage to the Emperor, assemble. They
range themselves right and left of tlie peristyle, in three lines, each
occupying the place appertaining to his dignity. They stand eiect,
grave, and silent. It is said to be a fine and imposing spectacle,
to witness all tliese remote monarchs, attired in their silk robes,
embroidered witli gold and silver, aud indicating, by the variety of
then- costumes, the different countries they inhabit, and the degTees
of their dignity.

Meautirae the Emperor issues in great pomp from his Yellow
Town. He traverses the deserted and silent streets of Peking; for,
when the Asiatic tyrant appears, every door must be closed, and
every inhabitant of the town must, on pain of death, i-emain silent
within his house. As soon as tlie Emperor has arrived at the

'iniBKr, AND CHINA.

227

GRAND CEKE.MONY AT THE ANCESTRAL lEMI'LL.

temple of the ancestors, the heralds, who precede the procession,
cry out, at the moment he places his foot on the first step of the
stairs that lead to the gallery of the tiihutary kings : " Let all
prostrate themselves, for here is the Lord of the earth." To this
the two hundred tributary kings respond in unison : " Ten thou-
sand congi'atulations ! " And, having thus wished a happy new
year to the Emperor, they all fall down with their face towards the
earth. Then passes through their ranks, the son of heaven, who
enters the temple of the ancestors, and prostrates himself, in his
turn, thrice before the tablet of his fathers. Whilst the Emperor
is offering up his adoration to the spirits of his family, the two
hundred monarchs remain prostrate on the earth, and they do not
rise until the Emperor has again passed through their ranks ; after
this they re-enter their litters and return to their respective palaces.
And such is the entire and sole fruit of the long patience of
these potentates, after leaving their distant countries, and enduring
fatigues and dangers of every description, and a long journey
through the desert: they have enjoyed the happiness of prostrating

228 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

themselves in the path of the Emperor ! Such a spectacle would
with us Europeans be a matter of pity and disgust, for we could
not comprehend how there should be so much humility on one
side, so much arrogance on the other. Yet it is the simplest
thing in the world to Asiatic nations. The Emperor takes his
all-mightiness as a gi'ave matter of course ; and the Tartar kings
think themselves happy and honoured in paying homage to it.

The prime minister of the king of the Alechan told us that
a sight of the Emperor is not easily obtained. One year, when
his master was ill, he was obliged to take his place at Peking, in
the ceremony of the temple of the ancestors, and he then hoped
to see the Old Buddha, on his way down the peristyle, but he was
altogether mistaken in his expectation. As minister, the mere re-
presentative of his monarch, he was placed in the third file, so that,
when the Emperor passed, he saw absolutely nothing at all. " Those
who are in tlie first line," he said, " if they are cautiously dexterous,
may manage to get a glimpse of the yellow robe of the son of
heaven ; but th^ey must take heed not to lift up their heads, for such
an audacity would be considered a great crime, and be j^i-^îiished
very severely."

All the Tartar princes are pensioned by the Emperor ; the sum
allotted to them is a small matter, but it effects a considerable
political result. The Tartar princes, in receiving their pay, con-
sider themselves the slaves, or at least, as the servants of him who
pays them ; and concede, in consequence, to the Emperor the right
of requiring their submission and obedience. It is about the first
day of the year that the tributary sovereigns receive, at Peking, the
allotted pension, which is distributed by some of the great Man-
darins, v/ho are said, by slanderous tongues, to speculate in this
lucrative employment, and never fail to make enoimous profits at
the expense of the poor Tartars.

The minister of the king of the Alechan related, for our edi-
fication, that in a particular year, all the tributary princes re-
ceived their pension in ingots of gilt copper. All found it out at
once, but were fain to keep silence, afraid to make public an affair
that might result in a catastrophe, compromising, not only tlie
highest dignitaries of the empire, but the Tartar kings themselves.
As, in fact, the latter were supposed to receive their money from the
hands of the Emperor himself, a complaint would, in some sort,
have been to charge the Old Buddha, the son of heaven, with being
a coiner. Tliey received accordingly their copper ingots with a
prostration, and it was not until they returned into their own coun-
tries, that they declared, not indeed that they had been cheated, but
that the Mandarins, charged with distributing the money, had been

THIBET, AND CHINA. U'2d

the dupes of the Peking bankers. The Tartar Mandarin who re-
lated the adventure, gave us completely to understand that neither
the Emperor, nor the courtiers, nor the Mandarins, had anytliing to
do with the afiaii'. "NVe took good care not to imdeceive him : as to
us, who liad no gi'eat faith in the probity of the government of
Peking, we were convinced that the Emperor had regularly swindled
the I'artar kings. We were confirmed in this opinion by the fact
that the period of this adventure coincided with the British war;
when, as we knew, the Emperor was in the last extremity, and knew
not Avhere to get the money necessary to keep fi'om starving the
handful of soldiers who were charged with the preseiwation of the
integiity of the Chinese territory.

The visit of the three Mandarins of the Alechan was not only
pleasant on account of the narrative they gave us of the relations
of the Tartar kings with the Emperor, but it was of essential utility
to us. When they understood that we were directing our steps
towai'ds the West, they asked us whether we intended passing
tlirough the district of the Alechan. On our answering in the
affirmative, they dissuaded us from the project ; they told us that our
animals would perish there, for not a single pasturage was to be
met with. We already knew that the Alechan is a tract still more
baiien than the Ortous. It consists, in fact, of chains of lofty moun-
tains of sand, where you may travel sometimes for whole days
together, without seeing a single blade of vegetation. Some naiTow
valleys, here and there, alone offer to the flocks a few thorny and
wi'etched plants. On this account the Alechan is very thinly in-
habited, even in comparison with the other parts of Mongolia.

The Mandarins told us that this year the drought which had
been general throughout Tartary had rendered the district of the
Alechan almost uninhabitable. They assiu'ed us that at least one-
tliird of the flocks had perished of hunger and thirst, and that the
remainder were in a wretched state. For their journey to Peking,
they had, they said, chosen the best they could find in the country;
and we might have observed that the animals of the caravan were
very difierent indeed from those we had seen in Tchakar. The
drought, the want of water and pastures, the destruction of the
flocks — all this had given birth to an utter state of misery,
whence, again, numerous bands of robbers who were ravaging the
country, and robbing travellers. They assm-ed us that, being so
few in number, it would not be wise for us to enter upon the
Alechan mountains, particularly in the absence of the principal
authorities.

On receiving this infonnation, we resolved not to retrace our
steps, for we were too far advanced, but to diverge a little from oui-

230 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

route. The night was far advanced ere we thought of taking rest ;
we had scarcely slej^t a few minutes, in fact, when the day broke.
The Tartars saddled their steeds, and after having wished us peace
and happiness, dashed off at full gallop, to overtake the great
caravan which preceded them.

As for us, before setting out, we unrolled the excellent map
of the Chinese empire, published by M. Andriveau-Goujon, and
sought upon it to what point we ought to direct our steps, so as to
avoid the wretched district of the Alechan, without, however, de-
viating too much from our route. After looking at the map, we
saw no other way than to recross the Yellow River, to pass the
Great Wall of China, and to travel across the Chinese province of
Kan-Sou, until we arrived among the Tartars of the Koukou-Noor.
Formerly this determination would have made us tremble. Accus-
tomed as we had been to live privately in our Chinese Christendom,
it would have seemed to us impossible to enter the Chinese empire
alone, and without the care of a catechist. At that time it would
have seemed to us clear as the day, that our strangulation, and
the persecution of all the Chinese missions, would have been the
certain result of our rash undertaking. Such would have been our
fears formerly, but the time of our fear was gone. Indurated by
our two months journey, we had come to the persuasion that we
might travel in China with as much safety as in Tartar}»-. The
stay that we had already made in several large commercial towns,
compelled as we had been to manage our own affairs, had rendered
the Chinese manners and customs more familiar to us. The lan-
guage presented to us no difficulties ; besides being able to speak
the Tartar idiom, we were familiar with the colloquial phrases of
the Chinese, a very difficult attainment to those who reside in the
missions, because the Christians there seek to flatter them by only
employing, in the presence of the Missionaries, the short vocabulary
of words that they have studied in books. Besides these purely
moral and intellectual advantages, our long journey had been
useful in a physical point of view ; the rain, the wind, and the sun,
which had during two months raged against our European tint,
had in the end embrowned and tanned it so, that we looked quite
like wild men of the wood in this respect. The fear of being recog-
nised by the Chinese now no longer troubled us.

We told Samdadchiemba that we should cease, in a few days,
to travel in the Land of Grass, and that we should continue our
route through the Chinese empire. " Travel among the Chinese ! "
said the Dchiahoui-; " veiy well. There are good inns there.
They boil good tea there. When it rains, you can go under shelter.
During the night, you are not disturbed by the blowing of the

THIBET, AND CHINA. 231

north wind. But in China, there are ten thousand roads ; which
shall we take ? Do we know v/hich is the best?" We made him
look at the map, pointing out all the places which we should have
to pass before we reached Koukou-Noor. We even reduced, for his
edification, into lis, all the distances fi-om one town to the other.
Samdadchiemba looked at our small geogi-aphical chart with perfect
enthusiasm. " Oh," said he, " how sincerely I regret that I did not
study wliile I was in the Lamasery ; if I had listened to my master,
if I had paid more attention, I might perhaps now understand the
description of the world, that is here drawn on this ])iece of paper,
With this, one can go everywhere, without asking the way. Is it
not so?" "Yes, eveiywhere," answered we; "even to yom own
family." " How is that? is my country also written down here ? "
and as he spoke he bent over the chart, so as entirely to cover it
with his huge frame. "Stand aside and we will show you your
countiy. Look ; do you see this little space beside that gi-een line?
That is the country of the Dchiahours, which the Chinese call the
Three Valleys (San-Tchouen). Your village must be here ; we shall
pass not more than two days' journey from your house." " Is it pos-
sible?" cried he, striking his forehead; " shall we pass two days'
journey fi-om my house? Do you say so ? How can that be ? Not
more than two days' journey ? In that case, when we are near it,
I wiU ask my spiritual fathers' permission to go and see once more
my counti-y." "What can you have to do now in the Thi'ee Val-
leys?" "I wiU go and see what is doing there. It is eighteen
years since my departm-e Irom my house. I will go and see if my
old mother is still there ; and if she is alive, I will make her enter
into the Holy Chinch. As for my two brothers, who knows whe-
ther they will have enough sense not to believe any longer in the
transmigi-ations of Buddha. Ah, yes," added he after a short pause,
" I will make a little tea, and we will talk this matter over again."

Samdadchiemba was no longer with us; his thoughts had flown
to his native land. We were obliged to remind him of his real
position, — " Samdadchiemba, you need not make any tea; and just
now, instead of talking, we must fold up our tent, load the camels,
and proceed on our way. Look ; the sun is already high in the
heavens : if we do not get on, we shall never reach the Three Val-
leys." " True," cried he ; and springing up he set himself busily
about making preparations for om- departuie.

On resuming our route, we abandoned the direction towards the
west, which we had strictly followed during our journey, and di-
verged a Httle to the south. After having continued cur march for
half the day, we sat down for a while under- a rock to take our
rejjast. As usual, we dined on bread and water; and what bread

232 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

and water ! Dough half baked, and brackish water, which we had
to draw up with the sweat of our brow, and to carry about with us
during our journey.

Towards the conclusion of our repast, while we were trying to
scrape together a few grains of tobacco in our snufF phials, by way
of desert, we saw coming towards us a Tartar on a camel; li€
seated himself beside us. After ha^'ing wished each other peace,
we let him smell at our empty snuff phial, and then offered him a
little loaf baked in the ashes. In an instant he had swallowed the
bread, and taken three sniffs of snufif.

We questioned him about the route ; he told us that if we fol-
lowed the same direction we should arrive in two days at the
Yellow Eiver, on crossing which, we should enter the Chinese
territory. This information gave us great satisfaction, for it per-
fectly agreed with our map. We asked him if water was far
off. "Yes," answered he, " the wells are distant. If you encamp
again to-day, you will find a cistern on the way ; but there is little
water, and that is very bad. Formerly it was an excellent well,
but it is now abandoned, for a tchutgour (demon) has corrupted its
waters."

This information induced us to proceed at once, for we had no
time to lose, if we desired to anive before night. The Mongol
mounted his camel, which bounded across the desert, while our
little caravan continued slowly its uniform and monotonous march.

Before sunset, we arrived at the indicated cistei-n, when we
pitched our tent, as there was no hope of finding further on better
water ; besides, we fancied the cistern might perhaps turn out less
diabolical than the Tartar had pretended it to be.

While we were lighting the fire, the Dchiahour went to draw
water ; he returned in a few moments, saying that it was unfit to
be drunk; that it was mere poison. He brought a basin full with
him, that we might taste it and judge for ourselves.

The stench of this dirty, muddy water was, indeed, intolerable ;
and on the surface of the nauseous stuff, we saw floating a sort of
oily drop, which infinitely increased our disgust. We had not the
courage to raise it to our lips ; we were satisfied with its sight, and,
above all, with its smell.

Still we must either drink or die with thirst ; we accordingly
resolved to make the best we could of this Cistern of the Devil, as
it is called by the Tartars. We collected roots, which were growing
abundantly around it, half buried in the sand; a few moments
labour supphed us with an ample provision of them. Then, first
of all, we made some charcoal which we broke into small pieces;
next we filled our kettle with the muddy, stinking water, placed it

THIBET, AND CHINA. 233

upon the fire, and when the water boiled, threw in a quantity of
the charcoal.

While we were engaged upon this chemical operation, Sam-
dadchiemba, seated beside the kettle, kept every moment asking
us what sort of soup we intended to make with all those detestable
ingi'edients. We gave him, by way of reply, a complete dissertation
upon the discolouring and disinfecting properties of charcoal. He
listened to oiu- scientific statement with patience, but appeared in
no degree convinced by it. His eyes were fixed upon the kettle,
and it was easy to see, from the sceptical expression of his features,
tliat he had no sort of expectation or idea that the thick water
bubbling in the kettle could at all become a clear and limpid fluid

By-and-by, we poured out the liquid thus prepared, and filtered
it through an imjiromptu liuen sieve. The water realised was not,
indeed, delicious, but it was drinkable, having deposited all its salt
and all its ill odour. We had moie than once, on our journey, used
water in no degree superior.

Samdadchiemba was perfectly intoxicated with enthusiasm.
Had he not been a Christian, he would assuredly have taken us for
living Buddhas. •' The Lamas," said he, " pretend they have all
knowledge and all power in their prayer books; but I am certain
they would have died of thirst, or been poisoned, had they only had
the water of this cistern to make tea with. They have no more
notion than a slieep how to render this bad water good." And then
he overwhelmed us with all sorts of odd questions about the natural
properties of things. In relation to the purification of water which
we had just operated, he asked whether by rubbing his face hard
with the charcoal, he could make it as white as ours; but then,
when his eyes turned to his hands, still black with the charcoal he
had just broken up, he himself laughed immensely at the idea he
had propounded.

Night had set in before we had completed the distillation of the
water we required. We then made abundance of tea, and the
evening was occupied in drinking it. We contented ourselves with
infusing a few pinches of oatmeal in the tea, for the ardent thirst
which devoured us absorbed all desh-e to eat. After having deluged
our inward man, we sought repose.

We had scarcely, however, stretched om^selves on the turf, when
an extraordinary and altogether unexpected noise threw us into a
state of stupor. It was a long, lugubrious, deep cry that seemed
approaching our tent. We had heard the howl of wolves, the roar
of tigers and of bears ; but these in no way resembled the sound
which now afiiighted our ears. It was something like the bellow-
ing of a buU, but crossed with tones so strange and unintelligible,

234 TRAVELS IN TAETART,

that we were utterly paiiic-strickeu. And we were all the more
surprised and confounded, because everybody had assured us
that there were no wild beasts of any kind in the whole Ortous
country.

Our embarrassment was becoming serious. We were in fear
not only for our animals, which were tied round the tent, but
also on our own account. As the noise did not cease, but, on
the contraiy, seemed to approach nearer and nearer, we got up,
not, indeed, to go forth in search of the villainous beast that was
thus disturbing our repose, but in order to try to frighten it. To
this intent all three of us set to work, shouting at the pitch of our
lungs ; then we stopped, and so did the beast. After a moment's
silence, the roaring was heard once more, but at a considerable
distance. We conjectured that in our turn we had frightened the
animal, and this somewhat reassured us.

The cries once more approaching, we piled up some brushwood
at a few paces from the tent, and made a bonfire. The light,
instead of deterring tlie unknown monster, seemed rather to attract
it ; and before long, by the flame of the brushwood, we could dis-
tinguish the outline of what appeared to be a great quadruped, of
reddish hue, the aspect of which, however, as near as we could
judge, was by no means so ferocious as its voice. We ventured to
advance towards it, but as we advanced, it retreated. Samdadchi
emba, whose eyes were very sharp, and accustomed to the desert,
assured us that the creature was eithei a dog or a stray calf.

Our animals were, at the very least, as absorbed with the
subject as ourselves. The horse and the mule pointed their ears,
and dug up the earth with their hoofs, while the camels, with out
stretched necks and glaring eyes, did not for an instant remove
their gaze from the spot whence these wild cries issued.

In order to ascertain precisely with what creature we had to do,
we diluted a handful of meal in a wooden dish, and placing this
at t]]e entrance of the tent, withdrew inside. Soon we saw the
animal slowly advance, then stop, then advance again. At last it
came to the dish, and with tlie most remarkable rapidity, lapped
up the supper we had prepared for it. We now saw that it was a
dog of immense size. After having thoroughly licked and polished
the empty dish, it lay down, without ceremony, at the entrance of
the tent; and we forthwith followed its example, glad to have
found a protector in the apprehended foe.

Next morning, upon awaking, we were able to examine at leisure
the dog which, after having so alarmed us, had so unreservedly
attached itself to us. Its colour was red, its size immense ; its ex-
cessive meagi'eness showed that it had been wandering about home-

THIBET, AND CHINA. !23

less for some time past. A dislocated leg, which it dragged along
the ground, communicated to it a sort of swinging motion, which
added to its fonnidable effect. But it was especially alarming when
it sent forth its loud, fierce voice. Whenever we heard it, we in-
stinctively looked at the animal whence it proceeded, to see whether
it really belonged to the canine race.

We resumed om- route, and the new Arsalan accompanied us,
its general position being a few paces in advance of the caravan,
as though to show us the way, with which it appeared to be toler
ably familiar.

After two days' journey we reached the foot of a chain of
mouu tains, the summits of which were lost in the clouds. We
set about ascending them, however, coui-ageously, for we hoped
that beyond them we should find the Yellow River. That day's
jom-ney was very painful, especially to the camels, for every step
was upon sharp, nigged rock ; and their feet, accordingly, were very
speedily bleeding. We oui'selves, however, were too absorbed -«-ith
the strange, fantastic aspect of the mountains we were traversing
to think of the toil they occasioned us.

In the hollows and chasms of the precipices formed by these
lofty mountains, you see nothing but gi-eat heaps of mica and
laminated stones, broken, bruised, and in some cases absolutely
pulverised. This wreck of slate and schist must have been brought
into these abysses by some deluge, for it in no way belongs to the
mountains themselves, which ai'e of gi-anite. As you approach
the summits, the mountains assume forms more and more fantastic.
You see gi'eat heaps of rock piled one upon the other, and appa
rently cemented together. These rocks are almost entirely en-
crusted with shells and the remains of a plant resembling sea weed;
but that which is most remarkable is that these gi'anitic masses are
cut and torn and worn in every direction, presenting a ramification
of holes and cavities, meandering in a thousand complicated turns
and twists, so that you might imagine all the upper portion of each
mountain to have been subjected to the slow and destructive action
of immense worais. Sometimes in the granite you find deep im-
pressions, that seem the moidds of monsters, whose forms they still
closely retain.

As we gazed upon all these phenomena, it seemed to us that we
were travelling in the bed of some exhausted ocean. Everything
tended to the belief that these mountains had undergone the gradual
action of the sea. It is impossible to attribute all you see there
to the influence of mere tain, or still less to tlie inundations of the
Yellow River, which, however prodigious they may be, can never
have attained so gi'eat an elevation The geologists who afiBrm

236 TRAVELS IN TARTARt.

that the deluge took place by sinking, and not by a depolarization of
the earth, might probably find in these mountains good arguments
in favour of their system.

On reaching the crest of these mountains we saw beneath us
the Yellow Eiver, rolling its waves majestically from south to
north. It was now near noon, and we hoped that same evening to
pass the river, and sleep in one of the inns of the little town of Che-
Tsui-Dze, which we perceived on the slope of a hill beyond the river.

We occupied the whole afternoon in descending the rugged
mountain, selecting as we went, the places right and left that
seemed more practicable than the rest. At length we arrived, and
before nightfall, on the banks of the Yellow River, oui' passage across
which was most successfully effected. In the first place, the Mongol
Tartars who rented the ferry oppressed our purse less direfuUy than
the Chinese ferrymen had done. Next, the animals got into the
boat without any difficulty. The only giievance was that we had
to leave our lame dog on the bank, for the Mongols would not
admit it on any terms, insisting upon the rule that all dogs must
swim across the river, the boat being destined solely for men, or
for animals that cannot swim. We were fain to submit to the pre-
judice.

On the other side of the Yellow River we found ourselves in
China, and bade adieu for awhile to Tartary, to the desert, and to
the nomadic life.

CHINESE AND TARTAR .ABMS.

CHAPTER XI.

Sketch of the Tartar Nations.

The Tartars, descended from the ancient Scythians, have preserved
to this day the dexterity of their ancestors in archery and horse-
manship. The early part of their history is veiled in obscurity,
enveloped as they are by the wonders and prodigies of the exploits of
their fii'st conqueror, Okhous-Han, who seems to be the Madyes of
Herodotus. This illustrious leader of the Scythian hordes carried
his arms into Syria, and reached even the confines of Egypt.

The Chinese annals frequently mention certain nomad tribes,
which they call Hioung-Nou, and which are no other than the
Huns. These wandering and warlike tribes gradually extended
themselves, and finished by covering the immense deserts of
Tartary from east to west. Thenceforward they made continual
incursions on their neighbours, and on several occasions made

238 TRAVELS IN TAETAEY,

attacks on the frontiers of the empire. It was on such an occasion
that Thsin-Chi-Hoang-Ti had the Great Wall built in the year
213 B. c. About 134 b. c. the Huns, under the conduct of Lao-
Chan, their emperor, made an attack on the Tartars Youei-Tchi
(the Getae), who dwelt on the confines of the province of Chen-Si.
After a series of long, and terrible conflicts, Lao-Chan' defeated
them, slew their chief,, and made of his head a drinking cup, which
he wore suspended from his girdle. The Getse did not choose to
submit to the victors, and preferred going elsewhere in search of
another country. They divided into two principal' bands. One
advanced towards the north-west, and took possession of the plains
situated upon the banks of the river Hi, beyond the glaciers of the
Moussour mountains ; this is that part of Tartary which is now
called the Tourgout. The other division marched southwards,
associated with it in its course several other tribes, and reached the
regions watered by the Indus. Tliere it laid waste the kingdom
founded by the successors of Alexander, strove for some time
against the Parthians, and finished by establishing itself in Bac-
triana. The Greeks called these Tartai- tribes Indo-Scythians.

Meanwhile divisions arose among the Huns; and the Chinese,
ever politic and cunning, took advantage of this circumstance to
enfeeble them. Towards the year 48 of our era, the Tartar empire
was divided into northern and southern. Under the dynasty of
Han, the Northern Huns were completely defeated by the Chinese
armies. They were obliged to abandon tlie regions wherein they
had settled, and proceeded in large numbers towards the west, to
the borders of the Caspian Sea; here they spread themselves over
tlie countries watered by the Volga, and round the Palus Mseotis.

They commenced in 376 their formidable irraptions upon the
Eoman empire. They began by subduing the territory of tlie
Alani, a nomad and pastoral people like themselves ; some of
these sought refuge in the Circassian mountains, others migrated
further west, and finally settled on the shores of the Danube. Later,
they drove before them the Suevi, the Goths, the Gepidse, and the
Vandals, and with these advanced to ravage Germany, in the be-
ginning of the fifth century. These large hordes of barbarians
resembling waves, one driven en by the other, thus formed, in their
destiTictive course, afearlul torrent, which finally inundated Europe.

The Southern Huns, who had remained in Tartary, were for a
long, time weakened by the dispersion of their northern countrymen;
but they- recovered by insensible degrees, and again became terrible
to tlie Chinese : though they did not acquire a political and histori-
cal importance till the time of the famous Tcliinggiskhan, towards
the close of the twelfth century.

THIBET, AND CHINA. 239

The' power of the Tai'tars, long confined within the desert
Eteppes of Mongolia, broke at length its hounds, and innumerable
armies might be seen descending from tlie lofty table-lands of Cen-
tral Asia, and precipitating themselves with fmy on horrified
nations. Tchinggiskhan carried pillage and death even to the
most remote regions. China, Tartary, India, Persia, S}Tia, ]\liis-
covy, Poland, H ungaiy, Austria, — all these countries successively
felt the terrible blows of the victorious Tartar. France, Italy, and
the other regions furtlier west, escaped with their fear.

In the year 1200 of our era, Khan-Khoubilai, grandson of
Tchiuggis, who had commenced the conquest of China, succeeded
in subduing that vast empire. It was the first time that it had
passed under the yoke of foreigners. Khoubilai died at Peking in
the year 1294, aged eighty. His em])ire was, without dispute, the
largest that had ever existed. Chinese geographers state that,
under the jMongol dynasty of the Youen, the empire northwards
went beyond the In-Chan mountains; westwards it extended be-
yond the Gobi' or sandy desert; to the east, it was terminated by
the countries situated on the left of the river Siao; and in the
southern direction it reached the shores of the Youé Sea. It is
obvious that this description does not include the countries tri-
butary to the empire. Thibet, Turkestan, Muscovy, Siara, Cochin
China, Tonking, and Corea, acknowledged the supremacy of the
Grand Khan of the Tartai*s, and faithfiûly paid him tribute. Even
European nations were, from time to time, insolently summoned to
acknowledge the Mongol supremacy. Plaughty and threatening
letters were sent to the Pope, to the King of France, to the Em-
peror, commanding them to send as tribute the i-evenues of their
states to the depths of Tartaiy. The descendants of Tchinggiskhan,
who reigned in Muscovy, Persia, Bactriana, and Sogdiana, received
investiture from the Emperor of Peking, and imdertook nothing of
importance without first giving him notice. The diplomatic papers
which the King of Persia sent, in the thirteenth century, to Philip
the Fair, are a proof of this dépendance. On these jirecious monu-
ments, which are preserved to this day in the archives of France,
are seals in Chinese characters, which testify the supremacy of the
Grand Khan of Peking over the sovereigns of Persia.

The conquests of Tchinggiskhan and of his successors ; and, in
later times, those of Tamerlan or Tiraour, which transferred the
seat of the Mongol empire to Samarcand, contributed, in as great-,-
and perhaps a greater degi-ee than the Crusades, to renew the inter-
course of Europe with the most distant states of the East, and
favoured the discoveries which have been so useful to the progress
of the arts, of the sciences, and of navigation.

240 TRAVELS IN TARTAET,

On this subject, we will quote in this place, an interesting pas
sage from the Memoirs which M. Abel Eemusat published in 1824,
on the political relations of the Christian princes, and particularly
of the Kings of France with the Mongol Emperors : —

" The lieutenants of Tchinggiskhan, and of his first successoi^s,
on arriving in Westei-n Asia, did not seek at first, to contract any
alliance there. The princes, whose domains they entered, silently
permitted the impost of a tribute ; the rest were I'equired to submit.
The Georgians and Armenians were among the first. The Franks
of Syria, the Kings of Hungary, the Emperor himself, had to repel
their insolent demands. The Pope was not exempted, by the
supremacy he enjoyed in relation to the other Christian princes ;
nor the King of France, by the high renown he enjoyed throughout
the East. The terror whicli the Tartars inspired, precluded a fit-
ting answer to their demands. The course resorted to was concili-
ation, the seeking their alliance, and the endeavouring to rouse
them against the Moslems. The latter attempt would scarcely
have been successful, had not the Christians in the East, who, by
adhesion as vassals, had obtained credit at the courts of their
generals and their princes, zealously employed themselves in the
matter. The Mongols were induced at last to undertake war
against the Sultan of Egypt. Such were the relations with this
nation during the first period, which lasted from 1224 to 1262.

''In the second period, the Khalifat was destroyed ; a Mongol
principality was founded in Persia : it bordered on the states of the
Sultan of Egypt. A sanguinaiy rivalry arose between the two
countries, which the Eastern Christians did all in their power to
irritate. The Mongol empire was divided. Those of Persia had
need of auxiliaries, which their Armenian vassals procured for
them : these auxiliaries were the Franks. From this time, their
power declined more and more ; and ere long it was annihilated.
Fresh crusades might restore it. The Mongols excited these in the
West. They joined their exhortations to those of the Georgians,
Armenians, of the wreck of the crusaders, who had taken refuge in
Cyprus, and to those of the sovereign pontiffs. The first Tartars
had commenced by threats ; the last came to offers, and even
descended to supplications. Twenty ambassadors were sent by
them to Italy, France, and England ; and it was no fault of theirs
that the fire of the holy wars was not rekindled, and extended over
Europe and Asia. These diplomatic attempts, the recital of which
forms, so to speak, an epilogue to the transmarine expeditions,
scarcely noticed by those who have written their history, and,
indeed, unknown to most of them, would deserve, perhaps, our
fixed attention. We should have to collect facts, resolve difficulties,

THIBET, AND CHINA. 241

and place in a clear point of view the political system to which the
négociations with the Tartars belong. Specialties of this class
could not be appreciated, whilst they were considered isolately, and
without examining them one with another. We might doubt, with
Voltaire and De Guignes, that a king of the Tartars had met Saint
Louis with offers of service. This fact might seem not tenable,
and its recital pai'adoxical. Yet such scepticism would be unrea-
sonable, after we had seen that the Mongols had acted upon that
principle for fifty years; and when we are assured, by reading con-
temporary writings, and by the inspection of original monuments,
that this conduct was natural on their part, that it entered into
their views, that it conformed to their interests, and that it is ex-
plained by the common rules of reason and policy.

" The series of events which are connected with these négociations
sei-ves to complete the history of the Crusades ; but the part they
may have had in the great moral revolution, which soon followed
the relations which they occasioned between people hitherto
imknown to each other, are facts of an importance more general
and still more worthy of our particular attention. Two systems of
civilization had become established at the two extremities of the
ancient continent, as the effect of independent causes, without
communication, and consequently without mutual influence. All
at once the events of war and political combinations bring into
contact these two great bodies, long strangers to each other. The
formal interviews of ambassadors are not the only occasions which
brought them together. Other occasions more private, but also
more efficacious, were established by imperceptible, but innumer-
able ramifications, by the travels of a host of individuals, attracted
to the two extremities of the earth, with commercial views, in the
train of ambassadors or armies. The irruption of the Mongols, by
throwing everything into agitation, neutralized distance, filled up in-
tervals, and brought the nations together; the events of war trans-
ported millions of individuals to an immense distance from the j^laces
where they were born. History has recorded the voyages of kings,
of ambassadors, of missionaries. Sempad, the Orbelian ; Hayton,
King of Armenia; the two Davids, Kings of Georgia; and several
others were led by political motives to the depths of Asia. Yeroslaf,
Grand Duke of Sousdal and vassal of the Mongols, hke the other
Russian princes, came to Kara-Koroum, where he died of poison, it
was said, administered by the Empress herself, the mother of the
Emperor Gayouk. Many monks, Italians, French, Flemings, were
charged with diplomatic missions to the Grand Khan. Mongols
of distinction came to Rome, Barcelona, Valencia, Lyons, Paris,
London, Northampton ; and a Franciscan of the kingdom of Naples

242

TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

was Archbishop of Peking. His successor was a professor of tneo
logy of the Faculty of Paris. But how many others, less celebrated,
were led in the train of those men, either as slaves, or impelled by
the desire of gain, or by cmiosity, to countries hitherto unexplored-.
Chance has preserved the names of a few. The first envoy who
came on the part of the Tartars to the King of Hungary was an
Englishman, banished from his country for certain crimes, and
who, after having wandered throughout Asia, had finally taken
service among the Mongols. A Flemish Cordelier met in the depth
of Tartary a woman of Metz, named Paquette, who had been
carried away from Hungary, a Parisian goldsmith whose brother
was established in Paris on the Grand Pont, and a young man
from the environs of Rouen, who had been present at the capture
of Belgrade; he saw there also Russians, Hungarians, and Flemings
A singer, named Robert, after travelling through tlie whole of
Eastern Asia, returned to find a grave in the Cathedral of Cbartres.
A Tartar was a helmet-maker in the armies of Philip the Fair.
Jean de Plan-Carpin met, near Gayouk, with a Russian gentleman,
whom he calls Temer, who served as interpreter. Several mer-
chants of Breslau, Poland, and Austria, accompanied him in his
journey to Tartary; others returned with him through Russia;
these were Genoese, Pisans, and two merchants of Venice
whom chance had brought to Bokhara. They were induced
to go in the suite of a Mongol ambassador, whom Houlagou
had sent to Khoubilai. They sojourned several years in China and
Tartary, took letters from the Grand Khan to the Pope, and
leturned to the Grand Khan, bringing with them the son of one of
their number, the celebrated Marco-Polo, and quitted once more the
Court of Khoubilai to retiu-n to Venice. Travels of this kind were
not less frequent in the succeeding age. Of this number are those
of John de Mandeville, an English physician; of Oderic of Friuli;
of Pegoletti; of Guillaume de Boutdeselle, and several others.
We may be certain that the -'ournies which have been recorded are
but a small portion of those which were pei-formed, and that there
were at that period more people able to make a long join-ney than
to write an account of it. Many of these adventurers must have
established themselves and died in the countries they went to visit.
Others returned to their country as obscure as when they left it;
but with their imaginations full of what they had seen, relating it
all to their families and friends, and doubtless with exaggerations ;
but leaving around them, amidst ridiculous fables, a few useful
recollections and traditions productive of advantage. Thus were
sown in Germany, in Italy, in France, in the monasteries, among
the nobility, and even in the lowest grades of society, precious seeds

THIBET, AND CHINA. 243

destined to bud at a later j^eriod. All these obscure travellers,
carrying the arts of their native country to distant lauds, brought
back other information about these no less precious, and thus
effected, unconsciously, exchanges more productive of good than
all those of commerce. By this means not merely the traffic
in silks, in porcelains, in commodities from Hiudostan, was
made more extensive and more practicable, opening new routes
to industry and commerce ; but, that which was far more valuable,
foreign manners and customs of before unknown nations, extra-
ordinaiy productions, were presented to the European mind, con-
fined, since the fall of the Roman empire, within too narrow a
circle. Men began to have an idea that, after all, there was some-
thing worthy of notice in the finest, the most ftopulous and the
most anciently civilized of the four quarters of the world. People
began to think of studying the arts, the religions, the languages of
the nations who inhabited it, and there was even a ^proposition to
establish a j)rofessorship of the Tartar language in the University
of Paris. Romantic narratives, reduced by discussion within
reasonable proportions, diffused in all directions juster and more
varied information: the world seemed opening towards the East.
Geography made immense strides, and ardour of discovery became
the new form assumed by the adventurous spirit of Europeans.
The idea of another hemisphere ceased, as soon as our own became
better known, to present itself to the mind as a paradox destitute
of all probability, and it was in going in search of the Zipangri of
Marco-Polo that Christopher Columbus discovered the New World.
" I should make too great a digi-ession, were I to investigate what
were in the East the effects of the Mongol irrujition, the destruc
tion of the Khalifat, the extermination of the Bulgarians, of the
Komans, and other northern nations. The decline of the popula-
tion of Upper Asia, so favourable to the reaction by which the
Russians, hitherto the vassals of the Tartars, subdued in their turn
all the nomads of the North ; the submission of China to a foreign
yoke ; the definitive establishment of the Indian religion in Thibet
and Tartary ; all these events deserve to be studied in detail. I
will not even pause to inquire what might have been the results,
to the nations of Eastern Asia, of the intercourse which they had
with the West. The introduction of the Indian numerals into
China, a knowledge of the astronomical system of the Moslems,
tlie translation of the New Testament and the Psalms into the
Mongol language, executed by the Latin Archbishop of Khan
Balik (Peking), the foundation of the lamanical hierarchy, framed
in imitation of the pontifical court, and produced by the fusion
effected between the remnants of the Nestorianism established in

244 TRAVET.S IN TARTARY,

Tartary and the dogmas of the Buddhists ; such were all the inno-
vations of which there are any traces in Eastern Asia, and
therewith the commerce of the Franks has very little to do. The
Asiatics are punished for their contempt of the knowledge of
Europeans, by the limited results which that very scoru enables
them to derive from it. To confine myself to what concerns the
people of the West, and to attempt to justify what I said at the
commencement of this Memoir, that the effects of the communica-
tions with the nations of Upper Asia, in the thirteenth century,
had contributed indirectly to the progress of European civilization,
I will conclude with a reflection, which I shall offer with the more
confidence, that it is not entirely new, while, at the same time, the
facts we have just investigated seem calculated to give it a sanction
it had not before.

" Before the establishment of the intercourse which, first
the Crusades, and then, later, the irruption of the Mongols,
caused to spring up between the nations of the East and those
of the West, the greater part of those inventions, which dis-
tinguished the close of the middle ages, had been known to the
Asiatics for centuries. The polarity of the loadstone had been dis-
covered and put into operation in China from the remotest antiquity.
Gunpowder had been as long known to the Hindoos and the
Chinese, the latter of whom had, in the tenth century, ' thunder
carriages,' which seem to have been cannon. It is difficult to
account in any other way for the fire-stone throweis, which are so
often mentioned in the history of the Mongols. Houlagou, when
he set out for Persia, had in his army a body of Chinese artillery-
men. Again, the first edition of the classic books engraved on
wooden boards is dated in the year 952. The institution of bank
notes, and of banking and exchange offices, took place among the
Jou-Tchen in 1154. Bank notes were adopted by the Mongols
established in China; they were known to the Persians by the
same name as the Chinese give them, and Josaphat Barbaro was
informed in 1450 by an intelligent Tartar whom he met at Asof,
and who had been on an embassy to China, that this sort of money
was printed in China every year con nitova stampa ; and this ex-
pression is remarkable enough, considering the time when Barbaro
made this observation. Lastly, playing cards — into the origin of
which so many learned antiquarians would not have busied them-
selves to inquire, were it not that it marked one of the first applica-
tions of the art of engi-aving on wood — were invented in China iu
the year 1 1 20.

" There are, besides, in the commencement of each of these in-
ventions, particular featm-es which seem calculated to show their

THIBET, AND CHINA. 245

origin. I will not speak of the comj^ass, the ancient use of which,
in China, Hager seems to me successfully to have demonstrated,
and wliicli passed into Europe by means of the Crusades, previous
to the irruption of the Mongols, as the famous passage in Jacques
de Vitiy, and some others, prove. But the oldest playing cards,
those used in the jeu de tarots, have a marked analogy in their form,
their designs, their size, their number, with the cards which
the Chinese make use of. Cannons were the first fire-arms made
use of in Europe; they are also, it would appear, the only fire-arms
with which the Chinese were acquainted at this period. The ques
tion as to paper money appears to have been viewed in its tnie
light by M. Langles, and after him by Hager. The fiist boards
made use of to print upon were made of wood and stereotyped,
like those of the Chinese ; and nothing is more natural than to
suppose that some book from China gave the idea. This would not
be more surprising than the fragment of the Bible, in Gothic cha-
racters, which Father Martini discovered in the house of a Chinese
at Tchang-Tcheou-Fou. We have the instance of another usage,
which evidently followed the same route — it is that of the Souan-
Pan, or arithmetical machine of the Chinese, which was, doubtless,
introduced into Emope by the Tartars of the army of Baton, and
which has so extensively pervaded Eussia and Poland, that women
who cannot read use nothing else in the settlement of their house-
hold accounts, and their little commercial dealings. The conjectm-e
which gives a Chinese origin to the primitive idea of European
typogi-aphy is so natural, that it was propounded before there was
any opportunity for collecting together all the cii'cumstances which
make it so probable. It is the idea of Paulo Jovio, and of Men-
doça, who imagine that a Chinese book may have been brought
into Em-ope before the amval of the Portuguese in the Indies, by
the medium of the Scythians and Muscovites. It was developed
by an anonymous Englishman; and carefully putting aside from
the consideration the impression in moveable types, which is, no
doubt, an invention peculiar to the Europeans, one cannot conceive
any sound objection to an hypothesis which bears so strongly the
stamp of probability. But this supposition acqunes a still greater
degi-ee of probability when we apply it to the totality of the disco
veries in question. All were made in Eastern Asia ; all were un-
heard-of in the West. Communication took place: it was conti-
nued for a centuiy and a-half, and ere another centmy had elapsed,
all these inventions were known in Europe. Theii" origin is veiled
in obscurity. The region where they manifested themselves, the
men who produced them, are equally a subject of doubt. Enlight-
ened countries were not their theati'e. It was not learned men who

246 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

were their authors ; it was common men, obscm'e artisans, who
lighted up, one after another, these unexpected flames. Nothing
can better demonstrate the effects of a communication ; nothing
can be more in accoi dance with what we have said above as to
those invisible channels, those imperceptible ramifications, whereby
the science of the Eastern nations penetrated into Europe. The
gi-eater part of these inventions appear at first in the state of in
fancy in which the Asiatics have left them ; and this circumstance
alone, almost prevents our having any doubt as to theii origin.
Some are immediately put in practice; others remain for some
time enveloped in obscurity, which conceals from us their progress,
and they are taken, on their appearance, for new discoveries ; all
are soon brought to perfection, and, as it were, fecundated by the ge-
nius of Europeans, operating in concert, communicate to human
intelligence the greatest impulse known to history. Thus, by this
shock of nations, the darkness of the middle age was dispersed.
Calamities, which at first aspect seemed merely destined to afflict
mankind, served to arouse it from the lethargy in which it had
remained for ages ; and the subversion of twenty empires was the
price at which Providence accorded to Europe the light of modern
civilization."

The Mongol dynasty of the Youen occupied the empire for a
century. After having shone with a brilliancy, the reflection of
which spread over the most remote regions, it ended with Chun-Ti,
a feeble prince, more mindful of frivolous amusements than of the
great inheritance which had been left him by his ancestors. The
Chinese regained their independence; and Tchou-Youen-Tchang,
the son of a labourer, and for some time a servant in a convent of
bonzes, was the founder of the celebrated dynasty of the Ming.
They ascended the imperial throne in 1368, and reigned in the
name of Houng-Wou.

The Tartars were massacred in great numbers in the interior of
China, and the rest were driven back to their old country. The
Emperor Young- Lo pursued them three several times beyond the
desert, more than 200 leagues north of the Great Wall, in order to
exterminate them. He could not, however, effect this object, and,
dying on his return from his third expedition, his successors left
the Tartars in peace beyond the desert, whence they diffused them-
selves right and left. The principal chiefs of the blood of Tching-
giskhan occupied, each with his people, a particular district, and
gave birth to various tribes, which all formed so many petty
kingdoms.

These fallen princes, ever tormented by the recollection of their
ancient power, appeared several times on the frontiers of the empire,

THIBET, AND CHINA. 247

and did notecase to disquiet the Chinese i^rinces, without, however,
succeeding in their attempts at invasion.

Towai'ds the commencement of the seventeenth century, the
Mantchou Tartars having made themselves masters of China, tlie
Mongols gradually submitted to them, and placed themselves under
theii- sovereignty. The Oelets, a Mongol tribe, deriving their name
from Oloutai, a celebrated warrior in the fourteenth centuiy, made
frequent irruptions into the country of the Khalkhas, and a san-
guinary war arose between these two people. The Emperor
Khang-Hi, under the pretence of conciliating them, intervened in
theii- quarrel, put an end to the war by subjecting both parties,
and extended his domination in Tartary to the frontiers of Russia;
the three Khans of the Khalkhas came to make their submission
to the Mantchou Emperor, who convoked a gi'and meeting near
Tolon-Noor. Each Khan presented to him eiglit white horses,
and one white camel ; from which circumstance this tribute was
called, in the Mongol language, Yousoun-Dchayan, (the nine
white) ; it was agreed that they should bring every year a similar
present.

At the present time the Tartar nations, more or less subject to
the sway of the Mantchou emperors, are no longer what they were
in the time of Tchinggiskhan and Timour. Since that epoch
Tartary has been disorganized by so many revolutions; it has
undergone such notable political and geographical changes, that
what travellers and writers said about it in former periods no
longer applies to it.

Dm-ing a length of time geographers divided Tartary into three
grand jjarts — 1. liussian Tartary, extending fi-om east to west, fiom
the sea of Kamtchatka to the Black Sea, and from north to south,
from the regions inhabited by the Tongous and Samoiede tribes, to
the lakes Baikal and Aral. 2. Chinese Tartary, bounded east
by the sea of Japan, south by the Great Wall of China, west by
the Gobi or great sandy desert; and north, by the Baikal Lake. 3.
Independent Tartary, extending to the Caspian Sea, and including
in its limits the whole of Thibet. Such a division is altogether clu-
merical, and without any sound basis. All these immense tracts,
indeed, once formed part of the great empii-es of Tchinggiskhan
and Timour. The Tartar hordes made encampments there at their
will in the course of their warlike wanderings ; but now all this is
completely changed, and, to form an exact idea of modern Tartary,
it is necessary to modify in a great degree the notions that have
been transmitted to us by the mediaeval authors, and which, in
default of better information, have been adopted by all the geo-
graphers, down to Malte- Bi-un, inclusive. To realize a deânite

248 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

idea about Tavtaiy, we think that the clearest, most certain, and
consequently the most reasonable rule, is to adopt the opinions of
the Tartars themselves, and of the Chinese, far more competent
judges of this matter than Europeans, who, having no connection
with this part of Asia, are obliged to trust to conjectures which
have often little to do with truth. In accordance with a universal
usage, the soundness of which we were enabled to confirm in the
course of our travels, we will divide the Tartar people into
Eastern Tartars (Toung-Ta-Dze), or Mantchous, and Western
Tartars (Si-Ta-Dze), or Mongols. The boundaries of Mantchouria
are very distinct, as we have already stated. It is bounded on the
north by the Kinggan mountains, which separate it from Sibei'ia ;
on the south by the gulf of Phou-Hai and Corea; on the east by
the sea of Japan ; and on the west by the Barrier of Stakes and a
branch of the Sakhalien-Oula. It would be a difficult matter to
define the limits of Mongolia in an equally exact manner ; how-
ever, without any serious departure from the truth, we may include
them between the 75th and the 118th degrees longitude of Paris,
and 35th and 50th degrees of north latitude. Great and Little
Boukaria, Kalmoukia, Great and Little Thibet — all these deno-
minations seem to us purely imaginary. We shall enter, by-and-by,
into some details on this subject, m the second part of our travels,
when we come to speak of Thibet and of the neighbouring ])eople.
The people who are comprised in the grand division of Mon
golia, that we have just given, are not all to be indiscriminately
considered as Mongols. There are some of them to whom this
denomination can only be applied in a restricted sense. Towards
the north-west, for instance, the Mongols are frequently confounded
with the Moslems ; and towards the south, with the Si-Fans, or
Eastern Thibetians. The best way clearly to distinguish these
people, is to pay attention to their language, their manners, their
religion, their costume, and particularly to the name by which they
designate themselves. The Mongol Khalkhas are the most nume-
rous, the most wealthy, and the most celebrated in history. They
occupy the entire north of Mongolia. Their country is of vast extent,
including nearly 200 leagues from noith to south, and about 500
from east to west. We will not repeat here what we have already
said about the Khalkha district; we will merely add that it is di-
vided into four great provinces, subject to four separate sovereigns.
These provinces are sub-divided into eighty-four banners, in Chinese
called Ky, in Mongol Bochkhon. Princes of different ranks are
at the head of each banner. Notwithstanding the authority of these
secular princes, it may safely be said that the Khalkhas are all
dependent on the Guison-Tamba, the Grand Lama, the Living

THIBET, AND CHINA. 249

Buddha of all the Mongol Khalkhas, who consider it an honour to
call themselves Disciples of the Holy One of Kouren {Kouré hokte
ain Cliahi).

The Southern Mongols have no special designation; they merely
bear the name of the principality to which they belong. Thus they
say, " Mongol of Souniout, Mongol of Gechekten," &c. Southern
Mongolia comprises twenty-five principalities, which, like those of
the Khalkhas, are sub-divided into several Bochkhon, The prin-
cipal are the Ortous, the two Toumet, the two Souniout, the Tchakar,
Karatsin Oungniot, Gechekten, Barin, Nayman, and the country of
the Elents.

The Southern Mongols, near the Great Wall, have little modi-
fied their manners by their constant intercourse with the Chinese.
You may remark sometimes in their dress a sort of studied
elegance, and in their character pretensions to the refined politeness
of the Chinese. Laying aside, on the one hand, the fi-ankness, the
good-natured openness of the Mongols of the North, they have
borrowed from their neighbours somewhat of their cunning and
foppery.

Proceeding to the South-east, we encounter the Mongols of the
Koukou-Noor or Blue Lake (in Chinese, Tsing-Hai or Blue Sea).
This country is far from possessing the extent which is generally
assigned to it in geogi'aphieal charts. The Mongols of the Koukou-
Noor only dwell around the lake, from which they derive their
name; and, moreover, they are mixed up to a great extent with
Si-Fans, who cannot live secure in their own country, because of the
hordes of robbers that are constantly ravaging it.

To the west of the Koukou-Noor is the river Tsaidam, on whose
banks encamp the numerous tribes, called Tsaidam-Mongols, who
must not be confounded with the Mongols of the Koukou-Noor.
Farther still, in the very heart of Thibet, we encounter other Mon-
gol tribes. We shall say nothing about them here, as we shall have
occasion to speak of them in the course of our narrative. We will
revert, therefore, in some detail to the Mongols of the Koukou-Noor
and the Tsaidam.

The Torgot-Tartars, who formerly dwelt near Kara-Koroum,
the capital of the Mongols in the time of Tcliinggiskhan, are
now situated to the north-west of Mongoha. In 1672, the whole
tribe, having raised their tents and assembled all their flocks, aban-
doned the district which had served them as a resting-place, mi-
grated to the western part of Asia, and established themselves in
the steppes between the Don and the Yolga.

The Torgot princes recognised the sovereignty "^of the Musco-
vite emperors, and declared themselves their vassals. But these

250 TRAVELS IN TAETART,

wandering hordes, passionately attached to the independence of their
nomad life, coald not long accommodate themselves to the new
masters they had selected. They soon felt an aversion to the laws
and regular institutions which were becoming established in the
Russian empire. In 1770, the Torgots again made a general
migration. Led by their chief, Aboucha, they suddenly disappeared,
passed the Russian frontiers, and halted on the banks of the river
Hi. This flight had been concerted with the government of Peking.
The Emperor of China, who had been informed beforehand of the
period of their departure, took them under his protection, and
assigned to them settlements on the banks of the Hi.

The principality of Hi is now the Botany-Bay of China : thither
are sent the Chinese criminals, condemned to exile by the laws of
the empire. Before their arrival in these distant regions they are
obliged to cross frightful deserts, and to climb the Moussour (glacier)
mountains. These gigantic summits are entirely formed of ice-
bergs, piled one on the top of the other, so that travellers cannot
advance except by hawing steps out of the eternal ice. On the
other side of the Moussour mountains the country, they say, is mag-
nificent ; the climate temperate enough, and the soil adapted for
every kind of cultivation. The exiles have transported thither a
great many of the productions of China ; but the Mongols continue
to follow their nomad life, and merely to pasture herds and flocks.-

We had occasion to travel for some time with Lamas of the
Torgot ; some of them arrived with us at Lha-Ssa. We did not
lemark, eitlier in their costume, in their manners, or in their lan-
guage, anything to distinguish them from the Mongols. The;f
spoke a good deal about the Oros (Russians), but in a way to make
us understand that they were by no means desirous of again be
coming subject to their sway. The Torgot camels are remarkablj
fine, and generally much larger and stronger than those in the
other parts of Mongolia.

It would be a very desirable thing to send missionaries to Hi.
We believe that there would be found already formed there a
numerous and fervent body of Christians. It is well known that
for many years past, it is hither that the Christians who have
refused to apostatize, have been exiled from all the provinces of
China. The missionary who should obtain permission to exercise
his zeal in the Torgot, would doubtless have to undergo great jm-
vations during his journey thither; but he would be amjDly com-
pensated, by the thought of carrying the succour of religion to aU
those generous confessors of the faith, whom the tyranny of the
Chinese government has sent to die in these distant regions.

To the south-west of Torgot is the province of Khachghar At

THIBET, AND CHINA. 251

the present day, this district cannot at all be considered a part
of Mongolia. Its inhatitants have neither the lai^guage, nor the
physiognomy, nor the costume, nor the religion, nor the manners
of the Mongols ; they are Moslems. The Chinese, as well as the
Tartars, call them Hoei-Hoei, a name by wliich they designate the
Mussulmen who dwell in the interior of the Chinese empire. This
description of Khachghar, is also applicable to the people to the
south of the Celestial Mountains, in the Chinese tongue called Tien-
Chan, and in Mongol, Bokte-oola (holy mountains).

Not long since the Chinese government had to sustain a terrible
war against Khachghar. ^Ye are indebted for the following details
to some military Mandarins who accompanied this famous and
distant expedition.

The Court of Peking kept in Khachghar two gi-and Mandarins,
with the title of Delegates Extraordinary {Kiutchai), who w^ere
charged to guard the frontiers, and to keep an eye on the move-
ments of the neighbouring people. These Chinese officers, instead
of merely watching, exercised then power with such horrible and
revolting tyranny, that they wore out the patience of the people of
Khachghar, who, at length, rose in a body, and massacred all the
Chinese resident in the countiy. The news reaching Peking, the
Emperor, who knew nothing of the misconduct of his officers, as-
sembled his troops, and maiched them against the Moslems. The
contest was long and bloody. The Chinese government had several
times to send reinforcements. The Hoei-Hoei were commanded by
a hero called Tchaukoeul; his stature, they say, was prodigious,
and he had no weapon but an enormous club. He frequently
defeated the Chinese army, and destroyed several grand military
Mandarins. At length, the Emperor sent the famous Yang, who
put an end to the war. The conqueror of Khachghar is a military
Mandarin of the province of Chang-Tong, remarkable for his lofty
stature, and above all for the prodigious length of his beard. Ac-
cording to the account we heard of him, his manner of fighting was
singular enough. As soon as the action commenced, he tied up
his beard in two gi-eat knots, in order that it might not get in his
way, and then he placed himself behind his troops. There, armed
with along sabre, he drove his soldiers on to combat, and massacred,
without pity, those who were cowards enough to draw back. This
method of commanding an army will seem somewhat peculiar; but
those who have Uved among the Chinese will see that the military
genius of Yang was foimded on a thorough knowledge of the soldiers
he had to deal with.

The Moslems were defeated, and Tchankoeul was, by means of
treachery, made a prisoner. He was conveyed to Peking, where he

252 TEAVELS IN TARTART,

liad to undergo the most barbarous and humiliating treatment, even
the being exposed to the people, shut up in an iron cage, like a
wild beast. The Emperor Tao-Kouang wished to see this warrior,
of whom fame spoke so much, and ordered him to be brought to
him. The Mandarins immediately took alarm ; they were afraid
lest the prisoner should reveal to the Emperor the causes which had
brought about the revolt of Khachghar, and the horrible massacres
which had followed it. The great dignitaries saw that these reve-
lations would be dangerous for them, and make them seem guilty
of negligence in the eyes of the Emperor, for not having duly
observed the conduct of the Mandarins who were placed in charge
of distant provinces. To obviate this danger, they made the un-
fortunate Tchankoeul swallow a draught whicli took away his speech,
and threw him into a disgusting state of stupor. When he appeared
in the presence of the Emperor, his mouth, they say, foamed, and
his visage was horrible ; he could not answer any of the questions
which were addressed to him. Tchankouel was condemned to be
cut into pieces, and to be served up as food for the dogs.

The Mandarin Yang was loaded with favours by the Emperor,
for having so happily terminated the war of Khachghar. He ob-
tained the dignity of Batourou, a Tartar word signifying valorous.
This title is the most honourable that a military Mandarin can
obtain.

The Batourou Yang was sent against the English, in their last
war with the Chinese ; but there it would appear his tactics did
not avail. During our travels in China we inquired of several
Mandarins, how it was that the Batourou Yang had not extermi-
nated the English : the answer everywhere was, that he had had
compassion on them.

The numerous principalities of which Mongolia is composed,
are all more or less dependent on the Mantchou Emperor, in pro-
portion as they show more or less weakness in their relations with
the Court of Peking. They may be considered as so many feudal
kingdoms, giving no obedience to their sovereign beyond the extent
of their fear or their interest; and indeed, what the Mantchou
dynasty fears above all things, is the vicinity of these Tartar tribes.
The Emperors are fully aware tliat, headed by an enterprising and
bold chief, these tribes might successfully renew the terrible wars
of other times, and once more obtain possession of the empire.
For this reason, they use every means in their power to preserve
tlio friendship of the Mongol princes, and to enfeeble the strength
of these terrible nomads. It is with this view, as we have already
remarked, that they patronise lamanism, by richly endowing the
Lamaseries, and by granting numerous privileges to the Lamas

THIBET, AND CHINA.

253

So long as they can maintain their influence over the sacerdotal
tribe, they are assured that neither the people nor the princes will
stir from their repose.

Alliances are another means by wliich the reigning dynasty
seeks to consolidate its i)ower in Mongolia. The daughters and
nearest relations of the Emperor, intermarrying with the royal
families of Tartaiy, contribute to maintain between the two peoples
pacific and friendly relations. Yet these princesses continue to have
a great predilection for the pomp and grandeur of the imperial
court. The mournful, monotonous life of the desert soon fatigues

CHINESE PaiNCESS.

them, and they sigh for the brilliant fêtes of Peking. To ob-
viate the inconvenience that might attend their frequent journeys
to the capital, a very severe regulation has been made to moderate
the wandering humour of these princesses. First, for the first ten
years after their marriage, they are forbidden to come to Peking,
under penalty of having the annual pension the Emperor allows
to their husbands suspended. This period having elapsed, they
are allowed to go to Peking, but never at their own mere fancy.

254 TKAVELS IN TARTARY,

A tribunal is appointed to examine their reasons foi temporarily
quitting their family. If these are considered valid, they allow
them a certain number of days, on the expiration of which they
are enjoined to return to Tartary. During their stay at Peking,
they are supported at the expense of the Emperor, suitably to then-
dignity.

The most elevated personages in the hierarchy of the Mongol
princes, are the Thsin-Wang and the Kiun-Wang. Their title is
equivalent to that of king. After them come the Peile, the Beisse,
the Koung of the first and second class, and the Dchassak. These
may be compared to our ancient dukes, barons, &:c. We have
already mentioned that the Mongol princes are bound to pay cer-
tain rents to the Eniperor ; but the amount of these is so small, that
the Mantcliou dynasty can only levy it on account of the moral
effect that may result. As simple matter-of-fact, it would be nearer
the truth to say that the Mantchous are the tribv.taiies of the Mon-
gols ; for, in return for the few beasts they receive from them, they
give them annually large sums of money, silken stuffs, clothes, and
various articles of luxury and ornament, such as buttons, sables,
peacocks' feathers, &c. Each Wang of the first degree receives
annually 2,500 ounces of silver (about =£800), and forty pieces of
silk stuff. All the other princes are paid according to the rank
they derive from the Emperor. A Dchassak, for example, receives
yearly one hundred ounces of silver, and four pieces of silk.

There exist certain Lamaseries, termed Imperial, where each
Lama, on obtaining the degree of Kalon, is obliged to offer to the
Emperor an ingot of silver of the value of fifty ounces; his name
is then inscribed on the register of the imperial clergy at Peking,
and he is entitled to the pension given yearly to the Lamas of
the Emperor. It is obvious that all these measures, so calculated
to flatter the self-love and avarice of the Tartars, do not a little
contribute to maintain their feelings of respect and submission
towards a government which takes such pains to court their friend-
ship.

The Mongols, however, of the district of the Khalkhas do not
seem to be much affected by these demonstrations. They only see
in the Mantchous a rival race, in possession of a prey which they
themselves have never ceased to desire. We have frequently heard
the Mongol Khalkhas use the most unceremonious and seditious
language in speaking of the Mantcliou Emi)eror. " They are sub-
ject," say they, " to the Guison-Tamba alone, to the Most Holy,
and not to the black-man (layman), who sits on the throne of
Peking." These redoubtable children of Tchinggiskhan still seem
to be cherishing in their inmost heart schemes of conquest and

THIBET, AJsD CHINA. 255

invasion. They only await, they say, the command of their
Grand Lama to march direct upon Peking, and to regain an empire
which they heUeve to he theirs, for the sole reason that it was
formerly theirs. The Mongol princes exact from their subjects or
slaves certain tributes, which consist in sheep, and here is the absurd
and unjust regulation, in accordance with which this tribute must
be paid :

The owner of five or more oxen must contribute one sheep : the
owner of twenty sheep must contribute on6 of them ; if he owns
forty he gives two; but they need give no more, however numerous
their flocks. As may be seen, this tribute really weighs upon the
poor only; the wealthy may possess a great number of cattle with-
out being obliged to contribute more than two sheep.

Besides these regular tributes, there are others which the princes
ai*e accustomed to levy on their slaves, on some extraordinary
occasions; for instance, marriages, burials, and distant voyages.
On these occasions, each collection of ten tents is obliged to furnish
a horse and a camel. Every Mongol who owns three cows must
pay a pail of milk ; if he possesses .five, a pot of koumis or wine,
made of fermented milk. The owner of a flock of 100 sheep,
furnishes a felt carpet or a tent covering.; he who owns three
camels must give a bundle of long cords to fasten the baggage.
However, in a country where everything is subject to the arbitrary
will of the chief, these regulations, as may be supposed, are not
strictly observed. Sometimes the subjects are altogether exempted
from their operation, and sometimes also there is exacted from them
much more than the law decrees.

Eobbeiy and murder ai-e very severely punished among the
Mongols; but the injured individuals, or their parents, are them-
selves obliged to prosecute the prisoner before the tribunals : the
worst outrage remains unpunished if no one appears to prosecute.
In the ideas of a semi-barbarous people, the man who attempts to
take the property or life of any one, is deemed to have committed
merely a private offence, reparation for wliich ought to be demanded,
not by the public, but by the injured party or his family. These
rude notions of justice are common to China and to Thibet; and
for that matter, we know that Rome herself had no other until the
establishment of Christianity, which caused the right of the com-
munity to prevail over the right of the individual.

Mongolia, generally speaking, wears a gloomy and savage
aspect ; the eye is nowhere recreated by the charm and variety of
landscape scenery. The monotony of the steppes is only interrupted
by ravines, by vast rents of the earth, or by stony and bai'ren hills.
Towards the north, in the distiict of Jvhalkhas, natm-e is more

256 TRAVELS IN TARTART,

animated ; tall forests decorate the summits of the mountains, and
numerous rivers water the rich pastures of the plains ; hut in the
long winter season, the earth remains buried unde^- a thick bed of
snow. Towards the Great Wall, Chinese industry glides like a ser-
pent into the desert. Towns arise on all sides. The Land of Grass
is crowned with harvests, and the Mongol shepherds find themselves
driven back northwards, little by little, by the encroachments of
agricultLU-e.

Sandy plains occupy, perhaps, the greater part of Mongolia;
you do not see a single tree there ; some short, brittle grass, which
seems to have much difficulty in issuing from this unfruitful soil,
creeping briars, a few scanty tufts of heath, such is the sole vegeta-
tion and pasturage of Gobi. Water is very rarely seen; at long
intervals you meet with a few deep wells, dug for the convenience of
the caravans that are obliged to cross this dismal tract.

In Mongolia there are only two seasons in the year, nine
months for winter, and three for summer. Sometimes the heat is
stifling, particularly on the sandy steppes, but it only lasts a few
days. The nights, however, are almost invariably cold. In the
Mongol countries, cultivated by the Chinese, outside the Great Wall,
all agricultural labour must be comprehended within three months.
As soon as the earth is sufficiently thawed, they hastily set to work,
or rather they do nothing but touch the surface of the ground
lightly with tlie plough ; they then immediately sow the seed ; the
corn grows with astonishing rapidity. Whilst they are waiting for
it to come to matmity, the men are incessantly occupied in pulling
up the weeds that overrun the plain. Scarcely have they gathered
in the harvest when the winter comes with its terrible cold ; during
tliis season they thresh the corn. As the cold makes vast crevices
in the earth, they throw water over the surface of the threshing-
tioor, which freezes forthwith, and creates for the labourers, a place
always smooth and admirably clean.

The excessive cold which prevails in Mongolia may be attïi-
buted to three causes : — to the great elevation of the country ; to the
nitrous substances with which it is strongly impregnated, and to
the almost entire absence of cultivation. In the places which the
Chinese have cultivated the temperature has risen in a remarkable
degree; the heat goes on increasing, so to speak, from year to year,
as cultivation advances ; so that particular grain crops, which at
first would not grow at all, because of the cold, now n^pen with
wonderful success.

Mongolia, on account of its immense solitudes, has become the
haunt of a large number of wild animals. You see at every step,
hares, pheasants, eagles, yellow goats, grey squirrels, foxes and

THIBET, AND CHINA. 25T

wolves. It is remarkable that the wolves of Mongolia attack men
rather than animals. They may be seen, sometimes, passing at full
gallop, through a flock of sheep, in order to attack the shepherd.
About the Great Wall they frequently visit the Tartaro-Chinese vil-
lages, enter the fai-ms, and disdaining the domestic animals they
find in the yard, proceed to the inside of the house, and there select
theii- human victims, whom they almost invariably seize by the
throat and strangle. There is scarcely a village in Tartary, where,
every year, misfortunes of this kind do not occur. It would seem
as though the wolves of this country were resolved to avenge on
men, the sanguinary war which the Tartars make upon their
brethren.

The stag, the wild goat, the mule, the wild camel, the yak, the
brown and black bear, the lynx, the ounce and the tiger, frequent
the deserts of Mongolia. The Tartars never proceed on a journey,
unless armed with bows, fusils and lances.

When we consider the horrible climate of Tartary, that climate
ever so gloomy and frozen, we should be led to think that the inha-
bitants of these wild countries must be of an extremely fierce and
nigged temperament; theii' physiognomy, their deportment, the
(tostume they wear, all would seem to confirm this opinion. The
Mongol has a flat face, with prominent cheek bones, the chin short
and retuing, the forehead sunken, the eyes small and obhque, of a
yellow tint, as though full of bile, the hair black and rugged,
the beard scanty, the sldn of a deep brown, and extremely coarse.
I'he Mongol is of middle height, but his great leathern boots and
large sheep-skin robe, seem to take away from his heiglit, and make
him appear diminutive and stumpy. To complete this portrait, we
must add a heavy and ponderous gait, and a harsh, shrill, discordant
language, full of fi-ightful aspirates. Notwithstanding this rough
and unprepossessing exterior, the disposition of the INiongol is full
of gentleness and good nature ; he passes suddenly from the most
rollicking and extravagant gaiety to a state of melancholy, which
is by no means disagreeable. Timid to excess in his ordinary
habits ; when fanaticism or the desire of vengeance arouses him, he
displays in his courage an impetuosity which nothing can stay ; he
is candid and credulous as an infant, and he j)assionately loves to
hear marvellous anecdotes and narratives. The meeting with a
tr-avelling Lama is always for him a source of happiness.

Aversion to toil and a sedentary life, the love of pillage and
rapine, cruelty, unnatural debaucheries, are the vices which have
been generally attributed to the Mongol Tartars. We are apt to
believe that the portrait which the old writers have drawn of them
was not exaggerated, for we always find these terrible hordes, at

258 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

the period of their gigantic conquests, bringing in their train, mur-
der, pillage, conflagration, and every description of scourge. But
are the Mongols the same now that tliey were formerly ? We believe
we can affirm the contrary, at least to a great extent. Wherever
we have seen them, we have found them to be generous, frank, and
hospitable; inclined, it is true, like ill-educated children, to pilfer
little things which excite their curiosity, but by no means in the
habit of practising what is called pillage and robbery. As to their
aversion for toil and a sedentary life, they are just the same as
heretofore. It must also be admitted that their manners are
very free, but their conduct has more in it of recklessness than
of absolute corruption. We seldom find among them those un-
bridled and brutal debaucheries to which the Chinese are so much
given.

Tlie Mongols are strangers to every kind of industry. Some felt
cai-pets, some rudely tanned hides, a little needlework and em-
broidery, are exceptions not deserving of mention. On the other
hand, they possess to perfection the qualities of a pastoral and
nomad people. They have the senses of sight, hearing, and scent
prodigiously developed. The Mongol is able to hear at a very long
distance the trot of ahorse, to distinguish the form of objects, and
to detect the distant scent of flocks, and the smoke of an en-
campment.

Many attem.pts have already been made to propagate Chris-
tianity among the Tartars, and we may say that they have not been
altogether fruitless. Towards the end of the eighth century and in
the commencement of the ninth, Timothy, patriarch of the Nes-
torians, sent some monks to preach the Gospel to the liioung-Nou
Tartars, who had taken refuse on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
At a later period they penetrated into Central Asia, and into China.
In the time of Tchinggiskhan and his successors, Franciscan and
Dominican missionaries were dispatched to Tartary. The conver-
sions were numerous ; even princes, it is said, and emperors were
baptized. But we must not entirely credit the statements of the
Tartar ambassadors, who, the more easily to draw the Christian
princes of Europe into a league against the Moslems, never
failed to state that their masters had been baptized, and had made
profession of Christianity. It is certain, however, that at the com-
mencement of the fourteenth century, Pope Clement V. erected at
Peking an archbishopric, in favour of Jean de Montcorvin, a Fran-
ciscan missionary who preached the Gospel to the Tartars for
forty-two years ; he translated into the Mongol language the New
Testament and the Psalms of David, and left at his death a very
flourishing Christendom. We find on this subject some curious

THIBET, AND CHINA. 259

details in " Le Livre de I'Estat du Grant Caan"^ (The book of the
State of the Grand Khan), extracted from a mamiscrijjt of the Na-
tional Library, and published in the " Nouveau Journal Asiatique"
(vol. vi.), by M. Jacquet, a learned orientalist. We conceive that
it may be acceptable to quote a few passages from this production.

OF THE MINORITES WHO DWELL IN THIS COUNTRY OE CATHAY (cHINA).

"In the said city of Cambalech was an archbishop, who was
called Brother John of Mount Curvin, of the order of Minorites,
and he was legate there for Pope Clement V. This arch-
bishop erected in that city aforesaid, three houses of Minorites,
and they are two leagues distant from one another. He likewise
instituted two others in the city of Kacon, which is a long distance
fi-om Cambalech, being a journey of three months, and it is on the
sea coast; and in these two jjlaces were put two Minorites as
bishops. The one was named Brother Andrew of Paris, and the
other, Brother Peter of Florence. These brothers, and John the
Archbishop, converted many persons to the faith of Jesus Christ.
He is a man of irreproachable life, agreeable to God and the world,
and very much in the Emperor's favour. The Emperor provided
him and all his people with all things necessary, and he was much
beloved by both Christians and Pagans; and he certainly would
have converted all that country to the Christian and Catholic faith,
if the false and misbelieving Nestorian Christians had not prevented
it. The archbishop had great trouble in restoring these Nestorians
to the obedience of our Holy Mother the Eoman Church ; without
which obedience, he said, they could not be saved ; and on this ac-
count these Nestorian schismatics disliked him gTeatly. This arch-
bishop has just departed, as it pleased God, from this life, A gieat
multitude of Christians and Pagans attended his funeral; and the
Pagans tore their funeral robes, as is their custom. And these
Christians and infidels took, with great reverence, the robes of the
archbishop, and held them in great respect, and as relics. He was
buried there honourably, in the fashion of the faithful. They still
visit liis tomb with great devotion."

OF CERTAIN NESTORIAN CHRISTIAN SCHISMATICS WHO DWELL THERE.

*' In the said city of Cambalech there is a sort of Christian
schismatics whom they call Nestorians. They observe the customs

1 This compilation was made in the fourteenth century, by order of Pope
John XXII.

260 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

and manners of the Greek Church, and aie not obedient to the
Holy Church of Rome ; but they are of another sect, and are at
great enmity with all the Catholic Christians who are loyal to the
Holy Church of Rome aforesaid. And when the archbishop, of
whom we spoke just now, built those abbeys of Minorites aforesaid,
the Nestorians destroyed them in the night, and did them all the
mischief in then- power; for tbey dared not injure the said arch-
bishop, or his brethren, or the other faithful Christians publicly
and openly, because the Emperor loved them and showed them
his favour. These Nestorians dwelling in the said empire of
Cathay, number more than 80,000, and are vciy rich ; but many of
them fear the Christians. They have very beautiful and very holy
churches, with crosses and images in honour of God and of the
saints. They receive from the said Emperor several offices, and he
gi'ants them many privileges, and it is thought that if they would
consent to unite and agree with these Minorites and with other good
Christians who reside in this countiy, they might convert the whole
of this country and the Emperor to the true faith."

OF THE EXTRAORDINARY FAVOUR WHICH THE GRAND KHAN SHOWS TO
THE SAID CHRISTIANS.

" The Grand Khan protects the Christians who in this said king
dom are obedient to the Holy Church of Rome, and makes provi-
sion for all their wants, for he shows them very great favour and
love ; and whenever they require anything for their churches, their
crosses, or their sanctuaries, in honour of Jesus Christ, he awards it
with great willingness. But they must pray to God for him and
his health particularly in their sermons. And he is very anxious
that they should all pray for him ; and he readily allows the
brethren to preach the faith of God in the churches of the infidels,
which they call vritanes, and he also permits the infidels to hear
the brethren preach ; so that the infidels go there very willingly, and
often with great devotion, and give the brethren much alms; and,
likewise, the Emperor lends and sends his servants to aid and assist
the Christians when they require their services, and so solicit the
Emperor."

While the Tartars remained masters of China, Christianity
made great progress in the empire. At the present day (we say it
with sorrow), there is not to be found in Mongolia the least vestige
of what was done in ages gone by, in favour of these nomad people.
We trust, however, that the light of the Gospel will ere long shine
once more in their eyes. The zeal of Europeans for the propaga-

THIBET, AND CHINA.

261

tion of tlie faith will hasten the accomplishment of Noah's prophecy.
Missionaries, the children of Japheth, will display their courage and
devotion : they will fly to the aid of the children of Shem, and will
esteem themselves happy to pass their days under the Mongol
tents : ' " God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents
of Shem." — Genes, cap. ix. v. 27.

CHINESE CARICATURE,

IRRIGATION OF ÏHB FIELDS.

CHAPTER XII.

otel of Justice and Mercy — Province of Kan-Sou — Agriculture — Great Works
for the Irrigation of the FieUls — Manner of Living in Inns — Great Confusion
iu a Town caused by our Camels — Chinese Life-guard — Mandarin Inspector
of the Public Works — Ning-Hia — Historical and Topographical Details — Inn
of the Five Felicities — Contest with a Mandarin, Tchong-Wei — Immense
Mountains of Sand — Road to Hi — Unfavourable aspect of Kao-Tan-Dze —
Glance at the Great Wall — Inquiry after the Passports — Tartars travelling in
China — Dreadful Hurricane — Origin and Manners of the Inhabitants of
Kan-Sou — The Dchiahours — Interview with a Living Buddha — Hotel of the
Temperate Chmates — Family of Samdadchiemba — Mountain of Ping-Keou —
Fight between an Innkeeper and his Wife — Water-mills — Knitting — Si-Ning-
Fou — House of Rest — Arrival at Tang-Keou-Eul.

Two months liad elapsed since our departure from the Valley of
Black Waters. During that period, we had undergone in the
desert continual fatigue and privations of every kind. Our health,
it is true, was not as yet materially impaired, but we felt that our
strength was leaving us, and we appreciated the necessity of modi-
fying, for a few days, our late rough manner of living. In this

• TRAVELS IN TARTARY. 268

point of view a country occupied by Chinese could not be otherwise
than agreeable, and, in comparison \^ith Tartary, would place
within our reach all sorts of comforts.

As soon as we had passed the Hoang-Ho, we entered the small
frontier town called Ché-Tsui-Dze, which is only separated from
the river by a sandy beach. We proceeded to take up our lodging
at the Hotel of Justice and Mercy {Jeu-y-Ting). The house was
large and recently built. Witli the exception of a solid floor of grey
tiles, the whole construction was of wood. The host received us
with that courtesy and attention which are always displayed when
jieople desire to give a character to a new establishment; and,
besides, the man havmg a most unprepossessing aspect, was anxious,
probably, by his amiability of manners, to redeem his ugliness of
feature ; his eyes, which squinted horribly, were always turned
away from the person whoDi he was addressing. However, if the
organ of sight was defective, the organ of speech had mai'vellous
elasticity. In his quality of an old soldier, he had seen much,
heard much, and what is more, he I'emembered much ; he was
acquainted with all countries, and had had to do with all sorts of
men. His loquacity was far from being troublesome to us: he
gave us details of every kind, as to the places, great and small,
which we had to visit before our arrival at Koukou-Noor. That
part of Tartary was well known to him; for, in the military part of
his career, he had served against the Si-Fan. The day after om*
aiTival he brought us, early in the morning, a large scroll, on which
were written, in order, the names of the towns, villages, hamlets,
and places that we had to pass in the province of Kan-Sou ; and
then he proceeded to give us a description of the localities with so
much enthusiasm, so much gesticulation, and in such a loud key,
that he made our heads turn.

The time which was not absorbed in long interviews, partly
compulsory, partly voluntary, with our host, was occupied in visiting
the town. Ché-Tsui-Dze is built in the comer of an angle, formed
on one side by the Alechan mountains, and on the other by the
Yellow River. On its eastern bank the Hoang-Ho is bordered by
dark hills, wherein are abundant coal mines, which the inhabitants
work with great activity, and whence they deiive their chief wealth.
The suburbs of the town are occupied by great potteries, where you
obsei-ve colossal urns, used in families as reservoirs of water, and
lai-ge stoves of admirable construction, and a large collection of
vases of all shapes and sizes. There is in the province of Kan-Sou
a large trade in this pottery.

At Ché-Tsui-Dze, provisions are abundant, varied, and of
astonishingly moderate price. Nowhere, perhaps, can a person

264 TRAVELS IN TARTAR Y,

live so economically. At every hour of the day and niglit, itiner-
ant restaurateurs bring to your house whatever provisions you need:
soups, ragouts of mutton and beef, vegetables, pastry, rice, vermicelli,
&c. There are dinners for every appetite, and for every purse — from
the complicated banquet of the rich, to the simple and clear broth
of the beggar. These restaurateurs are coming and going to and
fro almost without interval. They are generally Moslems — a blue
cap distinguishing them from the Chinese.

After two days repose in the Inn of Justice and Mercy, we
proceeded on our way. The environs of Ché-Tsui-Dze aie uncul-
tivated. On all sides, nothing is to be seen but sand and gravel,
drifted by the annual inimdation of the Yellow Eiver. However,
as you advance, the soil, becoming imperceptibly higher, improves.
An hour's distance from the town, we crossed the Great Wall, or
rather passed over some miserable ruins that still mark the ancient
site of the celebrated rampart of China. The countiy soon becomes
magnificent, and we could not but admire the agricultural genius
of the Chinese people. The part of Kan-Sou which we were
traversing, is especially remarkable by its ingenious and extensive
works for facilitating the irrigation of the fields.

By means of creeks cut in the banks of the Yellow Kiver, the
waters are conveyed into broad artificial canals ; these again supply
others of a larger size, which, in their tmn, fill the ditches with
which all the fields are surrounded. Sluices, great and small,
admirable in their simplicity, serve to raise the water and to carry it
over all the inequalities of tbe land. The distribution of the water
is perfectly arranged; each landowner waters his fields in his turn,
and no one is allowed to open his flood-gate before his regularly
appointed time.

Few villages are met with ; but you observe, in all directions,
farms of various sizes separated from one another by meadows.
The eye does not rest upon either groves or pleasure-gardens.
Except a few large trees round the dwellings, all the land is de-
voted to the cultivation of corn ; they do not even reserve a space
for stacking the harvest, but pile it up on the tops of the houses,
which are always flat-roofed. On the days of the general irrigation,
the country gives you a peifect idea of those famous inundations of
the Nile, the descriptions of which have become so classic. The
inhabitants traverse their fields in small skiffs, or in light carts with
enormous wheels, and generally drawn by buffaloes.

These irrigations, so conducive to the fertility of the land, are a
great pest to travellers. The roads are generally covered with
water and mud, so that you cannot use them, but mustlaboiu- along
the mounds which form the boundaries of the fields. When you

THIBET, AND CHINA. 5J65

have to guide caraels over such roads, it is the height of misery.
We did not advance a single step without the fear of seeing
our baggage fall into the mud; and more than once such an
accident did occur, throwing ns into infinite embarrassment. In
fact, that the misfortune did not oftener befal us, was solely
attributable to the skill in mud-walking which our camels had
acquired in their apprenticeship amongst the marshes of the
O]tous.

In the evening of our first day's march, we anived at a small
village called Wang-Ho-Po ; we had expected to find here the same
facility in obtaining provisions as at Ché-Tsui-Uze, but we were
soon undeceived. The customs were not the same ; those amiable
restamatem-s, with their baskets of ready-dressed viands, were no
longer visible. Forage- dealers were the only persons who came to
offer their goods. We therefore commenced by giving the animals
their rations, and afterwards went into the village to see if we coidd
find any provisions for our o\\ti supper. On our return to the inn,
we were obliged to cook our own supper ; the host merely furnished
us with water, coal, and a meal-kettle. Whilst we were peaceably
occupied in appreciating the result of our culinary labours, a great
tumult, arose in the courtyard of the inn. It was occasioned by a
caravanof camels, conducted by Chinese merchants, who were goingto
the town of Ning-Hia. Destined for the same route as themselves,
we soon entered into conversation. They told us that the direct
road to Ning-Hia was so bad as to be impracticable, even for the
best camels ; but they added, they were acquainted with a cross-
road shorter and less dangerous, and they invited us to go
with them. As they were to depart in the nicfht, we called the host
in order to settle our account. After the Chinese fashion, when
sapeks are in question, on one side they ask much, on the other they
oiier too little ; then there is a long squabble, and after mutual con-
cessions you come to an agreement. As they thought us Tartars, it
was quite a matter of course with them to ask us nearly ti'iple the
just amount : the result was, that the dispute was twice as long as
it ordinarily is. We had to discuss the matter vigorously ; first,
for ourselves, then for our beasts, for the room, the stabling, the
watering, the kettle, the coal, the lamp, for eveiy single item, until
at length we got the innkeeper down to the tariff of civilised people.
Tlie unfortunate Tartar exterior, which, for other reasons, we had
assumed, had been the occasion of our acquiring a certain degree
of dexterity in discussions of this kind ; for not a day passed, during
our journey through the province of Kan-Sou, in which we had not
to quaiTel, in this manner, with innkeepers. Such quaiTcls, how-
ever, involve no disagi-eeable results ; you dispute, and dispute, and

Q

266 TEAVELS IN TARTAEY,

then you come to an agreement, and the matter is over, and yon
are as good friends as ever with your antagonist.

It was scarcely past midnight when the Chinese camel-drivers
were on foot, making, with great tumult, their preparations for
departure. We rose, but it was to no purpose that we expedited
the saddling of our animals ; our fellow travellers were ready before
us and went on, promising to proceed slowly till we came up with
them. The instant that om camels were ready, we departed. The
night was dark ; it was impossible to discover our guides. With the
aid of a small lamp we sought traces of them, but wc were not success-
ful. Our only course, therefore, was to proceed, at chance, across
these marshy plains, which were altogether unknown to us. We
soon found ourselves so iuvolved in the inundated soil, that we
dared advance no farther, and halted at a bank, and there awaited
daybreak.

As soon as the day dawned, we directed our steps, by a thousand
ins and outs, towards a large walled town that we perceived in the
distance; it was Ping-Lou-Hien, a town of the third class. Our
arrival in this town occasioned lamentable disorder. The country is
remarkable for the number and beauty of its mules ; and at thisjunc-
ture, tber3 was one of these standing, fastened by a h alter, before eacli
of the houses of the long street, which we were traversing from north
to south. As we proceeded, all these animals, seized with fright at
the sight of our camels, reared on their hind legs and dashed with
violence against the shops ; some broke the halters which confined
them, tore off at a gallop, and overthrew, in their flight, the stalls
of the street merchants. The people gathered together, sent forth
shouts, anathematised the stinking Tartars, cursed the camels, and
increased the disorder instead of lessening it. We were grieved to
find that our presence had such unfortunate results; hut what
could we do ? We could not render the nudes less timid, nor pre-
vent the camels from having a frightful appearance. One of us,
at last, determined to run on before the caravan, and inform the
people of the approach of the camels. This precaution diminished
the evil, which did not, however, entirely cease until we were out-
side the gates of the town.

We had intended to breakfast at Ping-Lou-Hien ; but, not
having conciliated the good-will of its inhabitants, we dared not
stop there. We had only the courage to purchase some provisions,
for which we paid an exorbitant price, the occasion not being
favourable for bargaining. At some distance from the town, we
came to a guard-house, where we stopped to rest awliile, and to
take our morning repast. These guard-houses are very numerous
in China, the rule being that there shall be one of them at every

THIBET, AND CHINA. 26T

half-league, on all the great roads. Of a singular and entirely
Chinese construction, these barracks consist of a little edifice either
of wood or earth, but always whitewashed. In the centre, is a kind
of shed entirely without forniture, and with one large opening in
front. This is reserved for unfortunate travellers, who, during the
night, being overtaken by bad weather, cannot take refuge in an inn.
On eacli side is a little room with doors and windows, and some-
times with a wooden bench j^ainted red, by way of fui-niture. The
exterior of the barrack is decorated with rude pictures, representing
the gods of war, cavalry, and fabulous animals ; on the walls of the
shed are drawn all tlie weapons used in China, matchlocks, bows,
and aiTows, lances, bucklers, and sabres of every description. At a
little distance from the barrack, you see on the right a square tower,
and on the left five small posts standing in a line. These
denote the five lis which are the distance from one guard-house to
another ; frequently a large board, on two poles, inlbrins the-
traveller of the names of the nearest towns in that quaiter. The
directions on the board now before us were these : —

From Ping-Lou-Hien to Ning-Hia, fifty lis.
Northv/ards to Ping-Lou-Hien, five lis.
Southwards to Xing-Hia, forty-five lis.

In time of war, the square tower seiwes during the night for
giving signals by means of fireworks, combined in particular ways.
The Chinese relate that the Emperor Yeou-Wang, the thirteenth
emperor of the Tclieou dynasty, 780 b.c., yielding to the absmxl
solicitations of his wife, ordered one night the signals of alarm to
be made. The Empress wanted at once to amuse herself at the
expense of the soldiers, and to ascertain, at the same time, whether
these fireworks would really bring the troops to succoiu' the capital.
As the signals passed on to the provinces, tlie governors dispatched
the military Mandarins and tlîeir forces to Peking. "When the
soldiers learned, on their an-ival, that they had been called together
for the capj'icious amusement of a woman, they returned home full
of indignation. Shoitly afterwards, the Tartars made an irruption
into the empire, and advanced with rapidity to the very walls of the
capital. Tliis time tne Emperor gave the alarm in grave eai-nest,
but througheut the ])rovinces not a man stirred, thinking the
Empress was again amusing herself; the consequence was, that the
Tartars entered Peking, and the imperial family was massacred.

The profound peace which China has enjoyed so long has much
diminished the importance of these guard-houses. When they
decay they are seldom repaired ; in most cases their doors and
windows have been caiTied off, and no one lives in them at all.

268 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

On some of the more frequented roads, they keep in repair the
direction-boards and the posts.

The barrack where we halted was deserted. After having tied
our beasts to a thick post, we entered a room, and took in peace a
wholesome refreshment. Travellers looked at us as they passed,
and seemed a little surprised to find the place turned into a dining-
room. The finer people, especially, smiled at these three uncivilised
Mongols, as they deemed us. Our halt was brief. The direction-
board officially announced that we had yet forty-five lis' marcli
before we reached Niug-Hia, so that, considering the difïicirlty of
the road, and the slowness of our camels, we had no time to lose.
We proceeded along the banks of a magnificent canal, supplied by
the waters of the Yellow Tliver, and destined for the irrigation of
the fields. Whilst the small caravan was slowly marching over a
nruddy and slippery ground, we saw advancing towards ns a
numerous party of horsemen. As the retinue came up, the innir-
nierahle labourers who were repairing the banks of the canal,
prostrated themselves on the earth, and exclaimed, " Peace and
happiness to our father and mother !" We at once understood that
the p3rson so addressed was a superior Mandarin. In accordance
with the strict rules of Chinese etiquette, we ought to have dis-
moirnted, and have prostrated ourselves, as the others did ; but we
considered that, in oirr quality of priests of the Western Heaven,
we might dispense with this troublesome and disagreeable cereniony.
We remained, therefore, gravely seated on our steeds, and advanced
quietly. At sight of our camels, the other horsemen prudently
removed to a respectful distance ; but the Mandai'in, to show his
bravery, spurred his horse, and compelled it to come towards us.
He saluted irs politely, and made inquiries in Mongol as to our
health and our journey. As his horse grew more and more afraid
of our camels, he was constrained to cirt short the conversation,
and to rejoin his retinire, but he went away, triumphant at the
reflection that he had foirnd an opportunity of speaking Mongol,
and of thus giving the horsemen of his suite a high notion of his
knowledge. This j\Iandarin appeared to us to be a Tartar-Mant-
chou ; he was making an official inspection of the irrigating canals.

^Ye proceeded still some way along the banks of the same canal,
meeting nothing on our road but some carriages on large wheels,
drawn by bullaloes, and a lev/ travellers mounted on asses of lofty
stature. At length, we discerned the lofty ramparts of Ning-Hai, and
the numerous kiosks of the pagodas, which looked in the distance like
tall cedar.?. Tlie lirick-walls of Ning-Hai are ancient, but well pre-
served. The antiquity, which has almost entirely covered them
Willi moss and liclten, gives them a grand and imposing aspect.

THIBET, AND CHINA. 26^

On every side tliey are surrounded by inarslics, where canes, reeds, -
and water-lilies grow in abundance. The interior of the town is
poor and nii5orai)le ; the streets are dirty, narrow, and tortuous ;
the houses smoke-dried and tottering; you see at once that Ning,
Hia is a town of very great antiquity. Altliougli situated near the
frontiers of Tartary, the commerce there is inconsiderable.

After having gone nearly half up the central street, as we foimd
we had still a league to go before we reached the other extremity,
we lesolved to make a halt. We entered a large inn, where we
were soon loUowed by three individuals who impudently demanded
our passports. We saw at once that we had to defend our purses
against tin-ec swindlers. " Who are you that dare to demand our
passports?" "We are employed by the great tribunal: it is not
lawful for strangers to pass tln-ough the town of Ning-Hia witliout
a passport." Instead of replying we called the innkeeper and de-
sired him to write upon a small piece of paper, his name and tliat of
his inn. Our demand greatly sin-prised him. " Wliat is the good
of this writing? what are you going to do with it? " " We shall soon
have need of it. We are going to the great tribunal, to inform the
Mandarin that three thieves have sought to rob us in your inn." At
these words the three collectors of passports took to tlieir heels ; the
landlord loaded them with im})i-ecations, and the mob, who were
already assembled in great numbers, laughed heartily. This little
adventure caused us to be treated with especial respect. Next morn-
ing, ere day had dawned, we were awakened by a terrible noise,
which arose all at once in the court-yard of the inn. Amid the
coniiision of nimjerous voices that seemed in violent dispute, v/e
distinguished the words, "Stinking Tartar — camel — tribunal."
We hastily dressed oiu-selves, and proceeded to investigate the
nature of this sudden uproar, with v/hich it struck us we had some-
thing to do, and so it turned out ; our camels had devoured, in the
course of the night, two cart-loads of osiers which were in the yard.
The remnants still lay scattered about. The owners, strangers at
the inn like ourselves, required to be paid the price of their goods,
and their demand we considered perfectly just, only, we thought
that the landlord alone was bound to repair the damage. Before
going to rest, we had warned him of the danger in which the
osiers lay. We had told him that he had better place them else-
where, for that the camels would certainly break tljeir halters in
order to get at them. The owners of the carts had joined with us
in advishig their removal, but the landlord had laughed at our fears,
and asserted that camels did not like osiers. When we had suffi-
ciently explained the matter, the mob, the standing jury among the
Chinese, decided that the whole loss should be made good by the

^70 TRAVELS IN TAR'I'AUY,

landlord ; however, we had the generosity not to demand the price
of tlie halters of our camels.

Immediately after this impartial judgment had been pronounced,
we departed on our way. The southern part of the town seemed
to us in even a worse condition than that wliich we had passed
through on the preceding evening. Several portions were altoge-
ther pulled down and deserted ; the only living things to be seen
were a few swine, raking up the rubbish. The inhabitants of this
large city were in a state of utter misery. Tiie greater nimiber of
them were covered with dirty rags. Their pale visages, haggard
and thin, showed that they were often without the necessaries of
life. Yet Ningliia was once a royal town, and, doubtless, opulent
and flourisliing.

In the tenth century, a prince of Tartar race, a native ofTou-Pa,
at present under the dominion of the Si-Fan, having induced a few
hordes to follow him, came, and formed, despite the Chinese, a small
state not far from the banks of the Yellow Eiver. He chose for
his capital, Hia-Tcheou, which afterwards came to be called Ning-
Hia. It was IVom this town, that this new kingdom was called Hia.
It was in a very flourishing state for more than two centuries ; but
in 1227, it was involved in the common ruin, by the victories of
Tchinggiskhan, the founder of the jMongol dynasty. At present,
Ning-Hia is one of the towns of the first class in the province of
Kan-Sou.

On quitting Ning-Hai, you enter upon a magnificent road,
almost throughout bordered by willows and jujube trees. At inter-
vals, you find small inns, where the traveller xan rest and refresh
himself at small expense. He can buy there tea, hard eggs, beans
fried in oil, cakes, and fruit preserved in sugar or salt.

This day's journey was one of absolute recreation. Our camels,
which had never travelled except in the deserts of Tartary, seemed
thoroughly sensible to the charms of civilization ; they turned their
heads majestically right and left, observing, with manifest interest,
all that presented itself on the way, men and things. They were
not, however, so wholly absorbed in the investigations of the in-
dustry and manners of China, as to withdraw their attention alto
gether from its natural productions. The willows, especially,
attracted their interest; and when at all within ^eir reach, they
did not fail to pluck the tender branches, which they masticated
with entire satisfaction. Sometimes, also, expanding their long
necks, they would smell the various delicacies displayed over the
inn doors, a circumstance which, of course, elicited vehement pro-
tests from the innkeepers and other persons concerned. The
Chinese were not less struck with our camels, than our camels were

THIBET, AND CHINA. 271

with China. The people collected from all directions to see the
caravan pass, and ranged themselves on each side of the road ;
taking care, however, not to approach too near the animals which
excited their surprise, and whose strength they instinctively
dreaded.

Towards the close of this day's march we arrived at Hia-Ho-Po,
a large village without ramparts. We proceeded to dismount at
the Hotel of the Five Felicities {Ou-Fou-Tien). We were occupied
in giving forage to our beasts, when a horseman bearing a white
button on his cap, appeared in the court of the inn. Without
dismounting, or making the accustomed salutation, he proceeded
to bawl for the landlord. "The great Mandarin" is on his way
here," cried he, in curt and haughty tones ; " let everything be
clean and well swept. Let these Tartars go and lodge elsewhere ;
the great Mandarin will not have camels in the inn." Coming from
the courier of a Mandarin, these insolent words did not surprise
but they irritated us. We pretended not to hear them, and quietly
pui'sued our occupation. The innkeeper, seeing that we paid no
attention to the order that had been made, advanced towards us,
and laid before us, with politeness mingled with embarrassment,
the state of the case. " Go," we said to him firmly; " go tell this
white button that you have received us into your inn, that we will
remain there, and that Mandarins have no right to come and take
the places of travellers, who are already lawfully established
ny where." The innkeeper was spared the trouble of reporting
our words to white button, for they had been pronounced in
such a manner that he could hear them himself. He dismounted
forthwith ; and addressing us directly, said, " The grand Man-
darin wdll soon arrive ; he has a large retinue, and the inn
is small ; besides, how would the horses venture to remain
in this yard in presence of your camels ? " " A man in the
suite of a Mandarin, and, moreover, adorned like you with a white
button, should know how to express himself — first, politely, and next,
justly. We have a right to remain here, and no one shall expel us;
and our camels shall remain tied to the door of our room." " The
grand Mandarin has ordered me to come and prepare apartments
for him, at the Hotel of the Five Felicities." " Very well ; prei)ai*e
them, but don't meddle with our things. If you cannot accommo-
date yourselves here, reason suggests that you go and seek a lodging
elsewhere." "And the great Mandarin ? " " Tell your Mandarin
that there are three Lamas of the Western Heaven in this place,
who are ready to retiu-n to Ning-Hia to discuss the matter with
liimior before the tribunal, if it be necessary, at Peking; they
know their way thither." White button mounted and disappeared.

27-3 TRAVEI^S IN TARTARY,

The liost came to us immediately, and begged us to be resolute.
" If you remain here," said he to us, " I am sure to profit a little by
you ; but if the Mandarin takes your place, his people will turn my
inn upside down, will make us work all night, and then go away in
the morning without paying a farthing. And besides that, if I
were forced to send you away would not the Hotel of the Five
Felicities lose its reputation? Who would afterwards enter an inn
where they receive travellers only for the purpose of turning them
out again?" Whilst the host was exhorting us to courage, the
courier of the Mandarin reappeared ; he dismounted and made us
a profound bow, which we returned with the best grace possible.
" Sirs Lamas," said he, " I have ridden through Hia-Ho-Po ; there
is no other convenient inn. Who says you are bound to cede to us
your place ? To speak so were to talk inconsistently with reason !
Now, observe, Sirs Lamas ; we are all travellers : we are all men
far distant from our families; cannot we consult together in a
friendly manner and arrange the matter like brothers?" "No
doubt," said we, " men ought always to deal together like brothers ;
that is the true principle. Wlien we travel, we should live like
travellers. When each gives way a little, all are, in the end, accom-
modated." "Excellent saying! excellent saying! " cried the cou-
rier; and thereupon the most profound bows recommenced on both
sides.

After this brief introduction, which had perfectly reconciled both
parties, we deliberated amicably how we should best arrange our
common residence in the Hotel of the Five Felicities. It was agreed
that we should keep the room in which we were already installed,
and that we should tie up our camels in a corner of the court, so
that they might not terrify the horses of the Mandarin. The courier
was to dispose of the rest of the place as he pleased. We hastened
to remove our camels from tlie door of our room and to place them
as had been settled. Just after sun-set we heard the Mandarin's
party approaching. The two folding doors of the great gate were
solemnly opened, and a can-iage drawn by three mules advanced
into the middle of the court of the inn, escorted by a numerous
body of horsemen. In the carriage was seated a man about
sixty years old, with grey mustachios and beard, and having his head
covered with a red hood. This was the great Mandarin. On enter-
ing, he scanned, with a quick and searching glance, the interior of
the inn. Perceiving us, and remarking, above all, three camels at
the end of the court, the muscles of his lean face were suddenly
contracted. When all the horsemen had dismounted they invited
him to descend from his vehicle. "What!" cried he in a dry,
angry voice; "who are those Tartars? what are those camels?

THIBET, AND CHINA. 273

let the landlord be brought to me." On this unexpected summons
the host took to his heels, and white button remained for an instant
like one petrified: his face turned pale, then red, then ohve-colour.
However, he made an effort, advanced to the carriage, put one knee
to the gi-ound. then I'ose, and approaching the ear of his master,
spoke to him for some time, in an undertone. The dialogue ended,
the gi-eat Mandarin condescended to dismount, and after having
saluted us with his hand in a protecting manner, he retired like a
simple mortal to the small room vv'hich had been prepared for him.

The triumph we had thus obtained in a countr}--, admission even
to which was prohibited to us under pain of death ,^ gave us prodi-
gious coui'age. These terrible Mandarins, who had formerly occa-
sioned us such alarm, ceased to be terrible to us the instant that
we dared to approach them, and to look at them closely. We saw
men puffed up with pride and insolence, pitiless tyrants towards the
weak, but dastardly in the extreme before men of energy. From
this moment we found ourselves as much at our ease in China as
anywhere else, and able to travel without fear, and with our heads
erect in the open face of day.

After two days' journey, we arrived at Teh on g- Wei, on the
banks of the Yellow Eiver, a walled town of moderate size. Its
cleanliness, its good condition, its air of comfort, contrasted singu-
larly with the wretchedness and ugliness of Ning-Hia; and judging
merely from its innumerable shops, all well stocked, and from the
large population crowding its streets, we sliould pronounce Tchong-
Wei to be a place of much commercial impoi tance ; yet the Chinese
of this district have no notion of navigation, and not a boat is
to be seen on the Yellow Eiver in this quarter — a circmnstance
remarkable in itself, and confirmatory of the opinion that the
inhabitants of this part of Kan-Sou are of Thibetian and Tartar
origin ; for it is well known that the Chinese are everywhere passion-
ately addicted to navigating streams and rivers.

On quitting 'I'chong-Wei we passed the Great Wall, which is
wholly composed of uncemented stones, j^laced one on top of the
other; and we re-entered Tartary, for a few days, in the kingdom of
the Alechan. More than once the Mongol Lamas had depicted in
frightful colours the horrors of the Alechan mountains. We were
now in a position to see with our own eyes that the reality exceeds
all description of this frightful district. The Alechans are a long
chain of mountains, wholly composed of moving sand, so fine, that
when you touch it, it seems to flow through your linger like a liquid.

* At this period there was no French embassy in China, and no treaty in
favour of Europeans. All missionaries, theref^-e, v.'ho penetiaied into the interior,
were, ipso facto, liable to be put to death.

274 TRAVELS IN TARTAKY,

It were superfluous to add that, amid these gigantic accumulations
of sand, you do not find anywhere the least trace of vegetation.
The monotonous aspect of these immense sands is only relieved by
the vestiges of a small insect, that, in its capricious and fantastical
sports, describes a thousaud arabesques on the moving mass, which
is so smooth and fine, tliat you can trace upon it the meanderings
of an ant. In crossing these mountains, we experienced inex-
pressible labour and dilficulty. At each step our camels sank up
to the knees ; and it was only by leaps that they could advance.
The horses underwent still greater difficulties, their hoofs having
less purchase on the sand than the large feet of the camels. As for
ourselves, forced to walk, we had to keep constant watch that we
did not fall from the top of these mountains, which seemed to dis-
appear under our feet, into the Yellow Hiver, whose waters flowed
beneath us. Fortunately, the weather was calm. If the wind had
blown, we should certainly have been swallowed up and buried
alive in avalanches of sand. The Alechan mountains themselves
appear to have been formed by the sand which the north wind
incessantly sweeps before it from the Chamo, or Great Desert of
Gobi. The Yellow Eiver an-ests these sandy inundations, and thus
preserves the province of Kan-Sou from their destructive assaults.
It is to the great quantity of sand that falls into it from the Alechan
mountains that this river owes the yellow colour which has given
to it its name Hoang-Ho (Yellow River). Above the Alechan
mountains its waters are clear and limpid.

By degrees, hills succeeded to mountains, the sand heaps im-
perceptibly diminished, and towaixls the close of the day we arrived
at the village of Ever- Flowing Waters (Tchang-Lieou-Chouy).
Here we found, amidst those sand hills, an oasis of surpassing
beauty. A hundred rills disporting through the streets, trees, little
houses built of stone, and painted white or red, communicated to
the spot an aspect highly picturesque. Weary as we were, we halted
at Ever-ï'lowing Waters with inexpressible delight ; but the poetry
of the thing vanished when we came to settle with our host. Not
only provisions but forage came from Tchong-Wei, and the trans-
port being very difficult, they were dear to a degree that altogether
disconcerted our economical an-angements. For ourselves and
our animals, we were obhged to disburse 1,600 sapeks, a matter
of nearly seven shillings. Only for this circumstance we should
perhaps have quitted with regret the charming village of Tchang-
Lieou-Chouy; but there is always something which intervenes to
aid man in detaching himself from the things of this world.

On quitting Tchang-Lieou-Chouy, we took the road followed by
the Chinese exiles on their way to Ili. The country is somewhat

THIBEI-, AND CHINA. 275

less dreadful than that whicli we liad tiavelled tliroiigli on the pre-
ceding day, but it is still very dismal. Gravel had taken the place
of sand, and witli tlie exception that it i)roduced a lew tufts of
grass, hard and prickly, the soil was arid and barren. We reaohed,
in due course, KaoTan-Dze, a village repulsive and hideous bevond
all expression. It consists of a few miserable habitations, rudely
constructed of black eaith, and all of them inns. Provisions are
even more scarce there than at Ever-Flowiug "Waters, and corres-
])ondingly dearer. Every thing lias to be brought from ïchoug-
Wei, for the district ])roduces nothing, not even water. Wells have
been sunk to a very great depth, but nothing has been found except
hard, rocky, moistureless eaith. The inhabitants of Kao-Tan-Dze
have to fetch their water a distance of more than twelve miles, and
they Rccordint,']y charge travellers a monstrous price for every drop.
A single bucket costs sixty sapeks. Had we attempted to water
our camels, we should have had to lay out fifty fifties of sapeks;
we were thereibre forced to be content with drinking ourselves, and
giving a draught to our horses. As to the camels, they had to await
better days and a less inhospitable soil,

Kao-Tan-Dze, miserable and hideous as it is, has not even the
advantage of that tranquillity and security which its poverty and its
solitude miglit leasoiiably be supposed to give it. It is constantly
ravaged by brigan<is, so that there is not a house in it which does
not bear the marks of fire and devastation. At the first inn where
we jH-esented ourselves, we were asked whether we desired to have
our animals defended against robbers. This question threw us
into utter amazement, and we requested further explanation of a
point which struck us as so very singidar. We were informed that
at Kao-Tan-Dze there are two sorts of inns: inns where they fight,
and inns where they do not fight ; and that the prices at the former
sort are four times gi-eater than those at the latter. This explana-
tion gave us a general notion of the matter; but still we requested
some details. "How!" said the people. " Don't you know that
Kao-Tan-Dze is constantly attacked by brigands ? " " Yes, we
know that." " If you lodge in an inn where they don't fight, any
biigands that come will drive off your animals, for no one has
undertaken to protect them. If, on the contrary, you lodge in an
inn wljere they fight, you have a good chance of preserving your
property, unless the brigands are the more numerous party, which
sometimes happens." All this seemed to us very singular, and
very chsagreeable. However, it was necessary to make up our
minds on the subject. After grave refiection, we decided uj^on
lodging in an inn where they fought. It occurred to us that the
worthy innkeepers of Kao-Tan-Dze had an understanding with

276 TEAVELS IN TAETART,

the brigands, liaA^ing for its result the spoUation of travellers, one
way or the other, and that therefore it was better, ii}>on the whole,
to pay the larger sum, by way of black-mail, than to lose our
animals, whose loss would involve our own destruction.

Upon entering the figliting inn, to which we had been directed,
we found every thing about it on a war footing. The walls were
regularly covered with lances, arrows, bows, and matchlocks. The
presence of these weapons, however, by no means rendered us per-
fectly satisfied as to our safety, and we resolved not to lie down at
all, but to keep watch throughout the night.

Kao-Tan-Dze, with its robber assailants and its pauper popula-
tion, was to us an inexplicable place. We could not conceive how
men should make up their minds to inhabit a detestably ugly
country like this, sterile, waterless, remote from any other inhabited
place, and desolated by the constant inroad of brigands. What could
be their object? What possible advantage could be their induce-
ment? We turned the matter over in all ways ; we framed all sorts
of suppositions ; but we could achieve no likely solution of the
problem. During the first watch of the night, we conversed with
the innkeeper, who seemed a frank, open sort of man enough. He
related to us infinite anecdotes of brigands, lull of battle, murder,
and fire. " But," said we, " why don't you leave this detestable
country?" " Oh," replied he, " we are not free men; the inhabi-
tants of Kao-Tan-Dze are all exiles, who are only excused from
going to Hi on the condition that we remain here for the ])in'pose
of supplying with water the IMandarins and soldiers who jmss
through the place, escorting exiles. We are bound to furnish
water gratuitously to all the government officers who come to
the village." When we found that we were among exiles, we
were somewhat reassured, and began to think that, after all, these
people were not in collusion with the brigands; for we learned that
a petty Mandarin lived in the village to superintend the population.
We conceived a hope that we might find some Christians at Kao-
Tan-Dze, but the innkeeper informed us that there were none, for
that all exiles on account of the religion of the Lord of Heaven,
went on to Hi.

After what the innkeeper had told us, we conceived that we
might, without risk, take a brief repose; we accordingly threw our-
selves on our goatskins, and slept soundly till daybreak, the favour
of God preserving us from any visit on the part of the brigands.

During the greater part of the da}^ we proceeded along the road
to Hi, traversing with respect, with a degree of religious veneration,
that path of exile so often sanctified by the footsteps of the con-
fessors of the faith, and conversing, as we went, about those cou-

THIBET, AND CHINA. S77

rageous Christians, those strong souls, who, rather than renounce
their reUgiou, had abandoned their families and their country, and
gone to end tlieir days in unknown lands. Let us fei-vently pray
that Providence may send missionaries, full of devotion, to bear the
consolations of the faith amongst these our exiled brethren.

The road to Hi brought us to the Great Wall, which we passed
over without dismounting. This work of the Chinese nation, of
which so much is said and so little known, merits brief mention
here. It is known that the idea of raising walls as a fortification
against the incursions of enemies, was not peculiar, in old times,
to China : antiquity presents us with several examples of these
labours elsewhere. Besides the works of this kind executed in
Syria, Egypt, Media, and on the continent of Europe, there was,
by order of the Emperor Septimus Severus, a great wall constructed
in the northern part of Britain. No other nation, however, ever
effected anything of the sort on so gi*and a scale as the Great Wall,
commenced by Tsin-Chi-Hoang-Ti, a.d. 214. The Chinese call it
Wan-U-Tchang-Tching (the Great Wall of ten thousand lis.) A pro-
digious number of laboruers was employed irpon it, and the works
of this gigantic enterprise continued for ten years. The Great
Wall extends from the westernmost point of Kan- Sou to the EasteiTi
Sea. The importance of tliis enormous construction has been
variously estinrated by those who have written upon China, some
of whom preposterously exaggerate its importance, while others
laboriously seek to ridicule it ; the probability being, that tins diver-
sity of opinion arises from each writer having judged the whole
work by tlie particular specimen to which he had access. Mr.
Barrow, who, in 1793, accompanied Lord jNlacartney to China, as
historiographer to the British embassy, made this calculation : he
supposed that there were in England and Scotland 1,800,000 houses,
and estimating the masonry work of each to be 2,000 cubic feet, he
propounded that the aggregate did not contain as much ma-
terial as the Great Wall of China, which, in his opinion, was
enough for the construction of a wall to go twice round the
world. It is evident that Mr. BaiTow adopted, as the basis of Iris
calculation, the Great Wall such as he saw it north of Peking, where
the construction is really grand and imposing; but it is not to be
supposed that this barrier, raised against the irruptions of the bar-
barians, is, throughout its extent, equally high, wide, and solid.
We have crossed it at fifteen different points, and on several occa-
sions have travelled for whole days joarallel with it, and never once
losing sight of it; and often, instead of the gr-eat double trureted
rampart that exists towards Peking, we have found a mere low wall
of brickwork, or even earth work. In some places, indeed, we have

278 TRAVELS IN TxVRTARY,

found this famous barrier reduced to its simplest expression, and
composed merely of flint-stones roughly piled up. As to tlie foun-
dation wall, described by Mr. Barrow, as consisting of large
masses of free-stone cemented with mortar, we can only say that we
have never discovered the slightest trace of any such work. It is
indeed obvious that Tsin-Chi-Hoang-Ti, in the execution of this
great undertaking, would fortify with especial care the vicinity of
the capital, as being the point to which the Tartar hordes would
first direct their aggi-essive steps. It is natural, farther, to conceive,
that the Mandarins charged with the execution of the Emperor's
plan, would, with especial conscientiousness, perfect the works which
were more immediately under the Emperor's eye, and content them-
selves with erecting a more or less nominal wall at remote points of
the empire, particularly those where the Tartars were little to be
feared, as, for example, the position of the Ortous and the Alechan
mountains.

The barrier of San-Yen-Tsin, which stands a few paces beyond
the Avail, is noted for its great strictness towards the Tartars who
seek to enter within the intramural empire. The village possesses
only one inn, which is kept by the chief of the frontier guards.
Upon entering the court-yard we found several groups of camels
assembled there belonging to a great Tartar caravan that had
arrived on the preceding evening. There was, however, plenty of
room for us, the establishment being on a large scale. We had
scarcely taken possession of our chamber than the passport
question was started. The chief of the guards himself made an
official demand for them. " We have none," replied we. At this
answer his features beamed with satisfaction, and he declared that
we could not p)roceed unless we paid a considerable sum. " How !
a passport or money? Know tluit we have travelled China from
one end to the other, that we have l.)een to Peking, and that we
have journeyed through Tartary, without anything in tli(^ shape of
a passport, and without having paid a single sapek in lieu of a pass-
port. You, who are a chief of guards, must know that Lamas are
privileged to travel wherever they please without passports."
" What words are these? Here is a caravan at this very moment
in the house, and the two Lamas who are with it have both given
me their passports like the rest of the party." " If what you say
be true, the only conclusion is, that there are some Lamas who
take passports with them and others who do not. We are in the
number of those who do not." Finding at last that the dispute
was becoming tedious, we employed a decisive course. " Well,
come." said we, " we will give you the money you ask, but you
shall give us in return a paper signed by yourself, in which you

THIBET, AND CHINA. 279

shall acknowledge that, before you would j^ermit us to pass, you
exacted from us a sum of money instead of passports. We shall
then address ourselves to the first Mandarin we meet, and ask him
whether w^hat you liave done is consistent wdth tlie laws of the
empire." The man at once gave up the point. " Oh," said he,
" since you have heen to Peking, no doubt the Emperor has given
you special privileges," and then he added, in a whisper, and
smilingly, " Don't tell the Tartars here that I have let you pass
gratis."

It is really pitiable to observe these poor Mongols traveling in
China ; eveiybody thinks himself entitled to fleece them, and every-
body succeeds in doing so to a marvellous extent. In all directions
they are encountered by impromptu custom-house officers, by per-
sons who exact money from them on all sorts of pretences, for re-
pairing roads, buildhig bridges, constructing pagodas, &c. &c. Fii'st,
the despoilers profïer to render them great services, call them
brothers and friends, and give them wholesale warnings against
ill-designing persons who want to rob them. Should this method
not effect an unloosening of the piu'se-strings, the rascals have
recourse to intimidation, frighten them horribly with visions of
Mandarins, laws, tribunals, prisons, punishments, threaten to take
them up, and treat them, in short, just like mere children. The
Mongols themselves materially aid the imposition by their total
ignorance of the manners and customs of China. At an inn,
instead of using the room offered to them, and putting their
animals in the stables, they pitch their tent in the middle of the
court-yard, plant stakes about it, and fasten their camels to these.
Very frequently they are not permitted to indulge this fancy, and
in this case they certainly enter the room allotted to them, and
which they regard in the light of a prison ; but they proceed there
in a manner truly ridiculous. They set up their trivet with their
kettle upon it, in the middle of the room, and make a fire beneath
with argols, of which they take care to have a store with them. It
is to no purpose they are told that there is in tlie inn a large
kitchen where they can cook their meals far more comfortably to
themselves; nothing will dissuade them from their own kettle and
their own aboriginal fire in the middle of the room. When night
comes they unrol their hide-caqicts round the fire, and there lie
down. They would not listen for a moment to the proposition of
sleeping upon the beds or upon the kang they find in the room
ready for their use. The Tartars of the caravan we found in the
inn at San-Yen-Tsin were allowed to carry on their domestic
matters in the open air. The simplicity of these poor children of
the desert was so great that they seriously asked us whether the

280 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

innkeeper would make them pay anytliing for the accommodation
he afforded them.

We continued on onr way tln-oiioh the province of Kan-Sou,
proceeding to tlie south-west. Tlie country, intersected with
streams and hills, is generally fine, and the people apparently well
off . The great variety of its productions is owing partly to a tem-
perate climate and a soil naturally fertile, but, above all, to tlie
activity and skill of the agriculturists. The chief product of the
district is wheat, of which the people make excellent loaves, like
those of Europe. They sow scarcely any rice, procuring almost all
the little they consume from the adjacent provinces. Their goats
and sheep are of fine breed, and constitute, with bread, the principal
food of the i^opulation. Numerous and inexhaustible mines of
coal place fuel within everyone's reach. It appeared to us that in
Kan-Sou anyone might live very comfortably at extremely small
cost.

At two days' distance from tlie barrier of San-Yen-Tsin we were
assailed by a hurricane which exposed us to very serious danger.
It was about ten o'clock in the morning. We had just crossed a
hill, and were entering upon a plain of vast extent, when, all of a
sudden, a profound calm pervaded the atmosphere. There was not
the slightest motion in the air, and yet the cold was intense. Insen-
sibly, the sky assumed a dead-white colour ; but there was not a
cloud to be seen. Soon, the wind began to blow from the west ; in
a very short time it became so violent that our animals could
scarcely proceed. All nature seemed to be in a state of dissolution.
The sky, still cloudless, was covered with a red tint. The fury of
the wind increased; it raised in the air enormous columns of dust,
sand, and decayed vegetable matter, which it then dashed right and
left, here, there, and everywhere. At length the wind blew so tremen-
dously, and the atmosphere became so utterly disorganised, that, at
midday, we could not distinguish the very animals upon which we
were riding. We dismounted, for it was impossible to advance a
single step, and after enveloping our faces in handkerchiefs in order
that we might not be blinded with the dust, we sat down beside
our animals. We had no notion where we were; our only idea
was that the frame of the world was unloosening, and that the end
of all things was close at hand. This lasted for more than an hoar.
When the wind had somewhat mitigated, and we could see around
us, we found that we were all separated from one another, and at
considerable distances, for amid that frightful tempest, bawl as loud
as we might, we could not hear each other's voices. So soon as we
could at all w^alk we proceeded towards a farm at no great distance,
but which we had not before perceived. The hurricane having

^ THIBET, AND CHINA. 281

thrown down tlie lOfreat gate of the court vre found no difficulty in
enteriui?, and the house itself was opened to u-5 with almost equal
facility ; for Providence had guided us in our distress to a family
truly remarkable for its hosjùtality.

Immediately upon our arrival, our hosts heated some water for
us to wash with. We were in a frightful state ; from head to foot
we were covered with dust which had saturated, so to speak, our
clothes and almost our skins. Had such a stoim encountered us
on the Alechan mountains, we should have been buried alive in
the sand, and all trace of us lost for ever.

When we found that the worst of the storm was over, and that
the wind had subsided to occasional gusts, we joroposed to proceed,
but our kind hosts would not hear of this; they said they would
lodge us for the night, and that our animals should have plenty of
food and water. ïlieir invitation was so sincere and so cordial,
and we so greatly needed rest, that we readily availed ourselves of
their offer.

A very slight observation of the inhabitants of Kan-Sou, vnll
satisfy one that they are not of purely Chinese origin. The Tartaro-
Tlîibetian element is manifestly predominant amongst them ; and
it displays itself w-ith especial emphasis in the character, manners,
and language of the country people. You do not find amongst
them the exaggerated politeness which distinguishes the Chinese;
but, on the other hand, they are remarkable for their open-hearted-
ness and hospitality. In their particular form of Chinese you hear
an infinitude of expressions which belong to the Tartar and
Thibetian tongues. The constniction of their phrases, instead of
following the Chinese an-angement, always exhibits the inversions
in use among the Mongols. Thus, for example, they don't say,
with the Chinese, open the door, shut the window; but, the
door open, the window shut. Another peculiarity is that milk,
butter, curds, all insupportably odious to a Cliinese, are especially
iavourite food w4th the inhabitants of Kan-Sou. But it is, above
vii], their religious turn of mind which distinguishes them from the
Clîinese, a people almost universally sceptical and iudifierent as to
religious matters. In Kan-Sou there are numerous and flourishing
Lamaseries in which reformed Buddhism is followed. The
Chinese, indeed, have plenty of pagodas and idols of all sorts and
sizes in their houses; but with them religion is limited to this
external representation, whereas in Kan-Sou everyone prays often
arid loug and fervently. Now prayer, as everyone knows, is that
v.hicii distinguishes the religious from the iiTcligious man.

Besides diiiering materially from the other peoples of China,
the inhabitants of Kan-Sou differ materially amongst themselves,

R

282 TRAVELS IN TARTAEY,

the Dcliiahours marking that sub-division, perliaps, more distinctly
than any of the other tribes. They occupy the country commonly
called San-TcJiouan (Three Valleys), the birth-place of our came-
leer Samdadcbiemba, The Dchiahours possess all the knavery
and cunning of the Chinese, without any of their courtesy, and with
out their poli ?lied form of language, and they are accordingly feared
and disliked by all their neighbours. When they consider them-
selves in any way injured or insulted, they have immediate recourse
to the dagger, by way of remedy. With them the man most to be
honoured is he who has committed the greatest number of murders.
They have a language of their own, a medley of Mongol, Chinese, and
Eastern Tbibetian. According to their own account, they are of
Tartar ojigin. If it be so, they may fairly claim to have preserved,
in all its integrity, the ferocious and independent character of their
ancestors, whereas the present occupiers of Mongolia have greatly
modified and softened tbeir manners.

Though subject to the Emperor of China, the Dchiahours are
immediately governed b^ a sort of hereditary sovereign belonging
to their tribe, and who bears the title of Tou-Sse. There are in
Kan-Sou. and on the frontiers of the province of Sse-Tchouan, several
other tribes, having their own special rulers and their own especial
laws. All these tribes ai-e called Tou-Sse, to which each adds, by
way of distinction, the family name of its chief or sovereign.
Samdadcbiemba, for example, belonged to the Ki-Tou-Sse tribe of
Dchiahours. Yang-Tou-Sse is the most celebrated and the most
redoubtable of all these tribes, and for a long time exercised great
influence at LhaSsa, the capital of Thibet, but this influence was
destroyed in 1845, in consequence of an event which we shall
relate by- and- by.

After thoroughly resting from our fatigue, we departed eaily
next morniug. Everywhere, on our way, we saw traces of the
tempest, in trees uprooted and torn, houses unroofed, fields devas-
tated aud almost entirely deprived of their surface soil. Befoiethe
end of the day, we arrived at Tchoang-Loug, more commonly called
Ping-Eaiig. an ordinary town, with a toleiable amount of trade, but
in no way noticeable, whether for its beauty or for its deformity. We
went to lodge at the Hotel of the Three Social delations (San-Kan-
Tz>w), wboselandlordwasoné of the besthumouredand most amusing
persons we bad hitherto met with. He was a thorough Chinese : to
give us a jn'oof of his sagacity, he asked us, point blank, whether we
were not Euglish ; and that we might thoroughly understand his
question, he idded that he understood by Ing-Kie-Li, the sea-devils
{Yany-Kouei-Dze) wiio were making war at Canton. " No, we are
not English ; nor are we devils of anv sort, whetiier of sea or land."

THIBET, AND CHINA. 283

An idler who was standiDg by, inteiposed to prevent the ill effect
of this awkward question. '' You," said he to the innliee})er, " you
know nothing of physiognomy. How could you suppose that these
people are Yang-Kouei-Dze? Don't you know that tliey have all
blue eyes and red hair?" " You're right," returned the host, " I
had not thought of that." "No," said we, "clearly you had not
thought at all. Do you suppose that sea-monsters could live as we
do, on land, and ride on horses? " " You're right, quite so ; the Ing-
Kie-Li, they say, never venture to quit the sea, for when they're on
land they tremble and die like fish out of water." We were favoured
witii a good deal more information of the same class, respecting
the manners and characters of the sea-devils, the up-shot of which,
so far as we were concerned, was the full admission tlua we did not
belong to the same race.

A little before night, an immense bustle pervaded the inn. A
Living Buddha had arrived, with a numerous train, on his return
from a journey into Thibet, his native country, to the gi-and Lama-
sery, of which for many years he had been the superior, and which
was situated in the country of the Khalkhas, towards the Russian
frontier. As he entered the inn, a multitude of zealous Buddhists,
who had been awaiting him in the great coiut-yard, prostrated
themselves before him, their faces to the gi'ound. The Grand
Lama proceeded to the apartment which had been prepared for
him, and night coming, the crowd withdrew. When the inn had
become tolerably clear, this strange personage gave full play to his
curiosity; he poked about all over the inn, going into every room,
and asking eveiybody all sorts of questions, without sitting down
or staying anywhere. As we expected, he favoured us also with a
visit. When he entered our chamber, we were gi-avely seated on
the kang; we stadiously abtained from rising at his entrance, and
contented ourselves with welcoming him by a motion of our hands.
He seemed rather surprised at this unceremonious reception, but
not at all disconcerted, Standing in the middle of the room, he
stared at each of us intently, one after the other. We, like himself,
preserving entne silence all the while, exercised the privilege of
Avhich he had set us the example, and examined him closely. He
seemed about fifty years old; he was enveloped in a gieat robe of
yellow taffeta, and he wore red velvet Thibetian boots, with remark-
ably thick soles. He was of the middle height, and comfortably
stout; his dark brown lace denoted extreme good nature, but there
was in his eyes, when you attentively examined them, a strange,
wild, haggard expression, that was very alarming. At length he
addressed us in the Mongol tongue, which he spoke with great
facility. In the first instance, the conversation was nothing more

28-t TRAVELS IN TARTAKY,

than tlie ordinary phrases exchanged between travellers, about one
another's health, destination, horses, the weather, and so on. When
we found him j)rolonging his visit, we invited him to sit down he-
side us on the kang; he hesitated for a moment, conceiving, no doubt,
that in his quality as Living Buddha, it did not become hini to
place himself on a level with mere mortals like ourselves, Howevei-,
as he had a great desire for a chat, he at last made up his mind to
sit" down, and in fact he could not, without compromising his
dignity, remain any longer standing while we sat.

A Breviary that lay on a small table beside us, immediately
attracted liis attention, and he asked permission to examine it.
Upon our assenting, he took it up with both hands, admired the
binding and the gilt edges, opened it and turned over the leaves,
and then closing it again, raised it reverentially to liis forehead,
saying, "It is your Book of Prayer: we should always honour and
respect prayer." By-and-by he added, " Your religion and ours
are like this," and so saying he put the knuckles of his two fore-
fingers together. " Yes," said we, " you are right ; your creed and
ours are in a state of hostility, and we do not conceal from you
that the object of our journey and of our labours is to substitute
our prayers for those which are used in your Lamaseries." " I
know that," he replied, smilingly ; "I knew that long ago." He
then took up the Breviary again, and asked us explanations of the
engravings. He evinced no surprise at what we told him, only,
when we had related to him the subject of the plate representing
the ciucilixion, he shook his head compassionately, and raised his
joined hands to his bead. After lie had examined all the prints,
he took the Breviary once more in both hands, and raised it respect-
fully to his forehead. He then rose, and having saluted us with
great affability, withdrew, w^e escorting him to the door.

Upon being left alone, we felt for a moment stupified as it were
at this singidar visit. We tried to conceive what thoughts could
have filled the mind of the Living Buddha as he sat there beside us,
and what impression he had derived from the sketch we gave him
of our holy religion. Now, it seemed to us that strange feelings
must have arisen in his heart; and then again, we imagined that
after all he had felt nothing whatevei-, but that, a mere ordinary
person, he had mechanically availed himself of his position, without
reflection, and without himself attaching any real importance to his
pretended divinity. We became so interested in the point, that we
determined to see this personage once more before we departed. As
that departure was fixed for an early hour next morning, we went,
accordingly, to return his visit before we slept. We found him in
his apartment, seated on thick large cushions, covered with magni-

THIBET, A^•D CHINA. ^^^J

ficent ti-er-skins; Urore liim stood, on a small lacquer tal.le, a
silver tea-pot, and a steadte cup in a riclily-worked gold saucer.
He was evidently in the last stage of ennui, and was correspond-
ingly delighted to see us. For iear he should take it nito his head
toletusremainstandmg,we proceeded, upon enternig the room,
to seat ourselves beside him. His suite, who were assembled ma
contiguous room, which opened into their principal's, were extremely
shocked at this familiarily, and gave utterance to a murmur ot dis-
approbation. ÏJie Buddha himself, however, who passed over the
ciicumstance with a half-angry smile, rang a silver bell, and desired
a young Lama, who obeyed the summons, to brmg us some^tea
with milk. " I have often seen your countrymen," said he ; my
Lamaseiy stands at no great distance from your native land; the
Oros (Russians) often pass the frontier, but I have never known any
of them before to advance so far as you." " We are not luissians,
said we; " our country is a long way from Paissia. Ihis answer
seemed to surprise the Buddha; he looked at us closely ^ior some
time, and then said, "From what country come JO"; .^lien • ^^ e

are from the Western Heaven." " Oh ! you are Pehng ^ of Dclwn-
Ganna (Eastern Ganges), and your city is Galgata (Calcutta).
The notions fof the Living Buddha, it is observable, though no
exactly correct, were not altogether destitute of meaning; he could
of course only class us among the peoples who were known to him
and in supposing us first Russians and then English, he manifes ed
an acquaintance with geographical terms, by no means contemptible
under the circumstances. He would not be persuaded, l^owever,
that we were not either Oros or Péling of Galgata. " But after all,
said he, " what matters it from what country we come, since we are
all brothers ? Only let me advise you, while you are m China, to
be cautious not to tell everybody who you ai-e. The Chinese are
a suspicious and ill-conditioned race, and they might do you a mis-
chief " He then talked to us about Thibet, and the dreadful road
thither that we should have to traverse. Judging Irom our ai)pear-
ance, he said, he doubted very much whether we were strong enough
for the undertaking. The words and the manner of the Grand
Lama were perfectlv affable and kind, but there was a look m bis
eyes to which we could not reconcile ourselves. We seemed to
read there something infernal, fiend-like. But for tnis circumstance,
which perhaps after all was mere fancy on our part, we should have
esteemed our Grand Lama fiiend a most amiable personage.

From Tchoang-Long, or Ping-Fang, we proceeded to Ho-Kiao- i ,

1 The Thibetians call the English in Hindustan, Péling. a word «igriifying
.tran^r and equivalent to the Chinese y-jin, which the Europeans translate bar
S. probably with the notion of flattering their self-love by the imphed contrast.

286 TRAVELS IN TARTARY,

or, as it is named on tlie maps, Tai-Touug-Foii. The latter is the
ancient denomination of the plaoe, and is no longer in popular use.
The road was, throughout, covered with oxen, asses, and small
carts, all with loads of coal. We resolved to sojourn for a few
days at Ho-Kiao-Y, for the pur^^ose of giving rest to our animals,
whose strength had hecome almost exhausted: tlie horse and the
mule, in particular, had tumours on their sides, occasioned hy the
constant rubbing of the saddle, and it was essential to have these
cured before we proceeded further. Having formed this project,
our next business was to inspect all the inns in the place, for the
purpiose of selecting as our abode that which presented the most
favourable indications, and the Hotel of the Temperate Climates
was ultimately honoured with our choice.

Ever since our entry into the province of Kan-Sou, not a clay
had passed in which Samdadchiemba had not enlarged upon the
subject of the Three Valleys and the Dchiahours. Though there
was no very immense amount of sentiment about him, he had a
great desire to revisit his native place, and to see once more any
members of his family who might happen to be surviving there.
We could not do otherwise than aid so laudable a purpose; accord-
ingly, when we were established in the Hotel of the Temperate
Climates, we granted to our cameleer eight dajs' leave of absence,
wherein to revisit his so long abandoned home. Eight days ap-
peared to him fully sufficient for the purpose : two to go in, two to
come back in, and four to be spent in the bosom of his family,
relating to them all the marvels he had witnessed abroad. We
allowed him the use of a camel, that he might appear among his
friends with the greater distinction ; and five ounces of silver which
we placed in his purse completed his recommendations to a favour-
able reception.

WJjile awaiting the return of our Dchiahour, we were exclu-
sively occupied in taking care of our animals, and of ourselves.
Every day we had to go into the town to buy our provisions, then
to cook them, and, morning and evening, to water our cattle at
some distance from the inn. The master of the house was one of
those good-na.tured persons who, in their very eagerness to obhge,
become troublesome; and whose amiability of intention scarcely
induces one to pardon their importunity of attention. The worthy
man was incessantly thrusting himself into our room, to give us
advice how we ought to do this, that, and the other. After altering
the position of everything in the chamber according to his fancy
for the moment, he would go up to the furnace, take off the lid of
the saucepan, dip his finger into the ragout, and licking it to see
how the mess was going on, add salt or ginger, or other condiment.

THIBET, A>-D CHINA. 287

to the infinite annoyance of M. Hue, wlio was officially charged
with the cooking department. At other times he would loudly
protest that we knew nothing ahout making up a fire, that the coals
ought to be laid so, and the wood so, and that a draught of air
ough.t to be kept up in this or that direction; and thei-eupon he
would take up the tongs and overturn our fire, to the immense dis-
comfiture of M. G abet, who presided over that department. At
night he appeared to consider himself especially indispensable, and
would skip in every quarter of an hour to see that the lamp was
burning properly, and that the wick was long enough, or short
enough, and what not. At times he had really the air of asking
us how it was possible that we had contrived to live without him,
the one of us up to thirty-two years of age, the other up to thirty-
seven. However, among the exuberance of attentions with which
he bored us, there was one which we readily accepted ; it was in
the matter of warming our beds, the process of which was so sin-
gular, so peculiar, that we had never had the opportunity elsewhere
of observing it.

The kang, a species of furnace on which you lie, is not in
Kan-Sou constructed altogether of brickwork, as is the case in
Northern China, but the upper flooring consists of moveable planks,
placed closely beside one another. When they want to heat the
kang for sleeping purposes, they remove the planks, and strew
the interior of the kang with horse-dung, quite dry and pulverised.
Over this combustible they throw some lighted cinders, and then
replace the planks ; the fire immediately communicates itself to the
dung, which, once lighted, continues to smoulder; the heat and the
smoke, having no exit, soon warm the planks, and this produces a
tepid temperature which, in consequence of the slow combustion
of the material, prevails throughout the night. The talent of the
kang-heater consists in putting neither too much nor too little dung,
in strewing it properly, and in so an-anging the cinders that com-
bustion shall commence at different points in the same moment of
time, in order that all the planks may equally benefit by the warmth.
Ashamed to have our bed warmed for us like children, we one night
essayed to perform this service for ourselves, but the result was by
no means happy, for while one of us was nearly broiled to death,
the other trembled with cold all night long ; the fact being, that
o\ving to our want of skill, the fire had actually caught the planks
on one side of the kang, while on the other the fuel had not lighted
at all. The host of the Hotel of the Temperate Climates was
naturally disgusted at the mischance, and in order to prevent its
recurrence, he locked the closing plank of the furnace, and himself
came every time to light it.

288 TEAVELS IN TARTARY,

Our various domestic occupations, and the recitation of our
Breviary, passed away the time very smoothly at Ho-Kiao-Y. On
the eighth day, as had been agreed, Samdadchiemba returned,
but not alone ; he was accompanied by a lad, whose features bespoke
him a brother of our cameleer, and as such Samdadchiemba pre-
sented him to us. Our first interview was very brief, for the two
Dchiahours had scarcely presented themselves before they disap-
peared. We imagined, at first, that tliey were gone to pay their
respects to tlie host, but it was not so, for they almost immediately
re-appeared with somewhat more solemnity of mnnner than before.
Samdadchiemba marched in first : " Babdcho," said he to his
brother, " prostrate thyself before our masters, and present to them
the oflterings of our poor family." The younger Dchiahour made
us three salutations in the Oriental fashion, and then laid before
us two great dishes, one of them full of fine nuts, the other laden
with three large loaves, in form resembling those made in France.
To afford Samdadchiemba the most practical proof in our power
that we were sensible to his attention, we forthwith applied our-
selves to one of the loaves, which, with some of the nuts, consti-
tuted quite a delicious repast, for never since our departure from
France had we tasted such e^Kcellent bread.

While engaged upon our banquet, we observed that the costume
of Samdadchiemba was reduced to its simplest expression; that
whereas he had gone decently attired, he had come back half-
covered with a few rags. We asked for an explanation of this
change, whereupon he gave us an account of the miserable con-
dition in which he had found his family. The father had been
dead for some time; his aged mother had become blind, so that
she had not enjoyed the happiness of seeing him. He had two
brothers, the one a mere child, tlie other the young man whom he
had brought with him, and who, the sole su])po]-t of the family,
devoted liis time to the cultivation of a small field which still
belonged to them, and to the tending the flocks of other people
for hire. This narrative at once explained what Samdadchiemba
had done with his clothes; he had given them all to his poor old
mother, without even excepting his travelling cloak. We thought
it our duty to propose that he should remain, and devote himself to
the assistance of his wretched family; but he did not at all adopt
the suggestion. " What," said he, " (;ould I have the cruelty to
do such a tiling as that ! Could I ever think of going to devour
the little substance that remains to them? They can scarcely sub-
sist themselves : how could they j)ossibly support me; for I myself
have no means of making a livelihood there — I cannot labour at
the soil, and there is no other way in which I could help them."

THIBET, AND CHINA.

Q89

We considered tliis resolution neither good nor great; but knowing,
as we did, the character of Samdadchiemha, it in no degree sur-
prised us. We did not insist upon liis remaining, for we were even
better convinced than he himself was. that lie could he of no sort
of seivice to his family. We did all we could ourselves to aid these
poor people, by giving Samdadchiemba's brother as large an alms
as we could spare; and we then proceeded to the p-eparations for
our departin-e.

Dming these eight days of repose, the condition of our animals
had so im])roved as to enable us to venture upon the difficult road
we had to travel se. The next day after quitting Ho-Kiao-Y, we
began the ascent of the high mountain called Piug-Keou, tlie
terribly rugged paths of which interposed almost insurmountable
dilficulties in the vray of our camels. On the ascent, we were
obliged to be constantly calling out, at the pitch of our voices, in
order to warn any muleteers wlio might be coming do^^^l the road,
which was so narrow and dangerous that two animals could not
pass each other abreast. Our cries were to enable any persons
coming the other way to lead their mules aside, so that they might
not take alarm at the sight of our camels, and dash over the preci-
pice. We began the ascent of this mountain before daybreak, and
yet it was noon before we reached its summit. There we found a
little inn, where, under the denomination of tea, they sold a de-
coction of burned beans. We stopped at this jilace for a brief
period to take a repast, which hunger rendered very succulent and
savouiy, of some nuts and a slice of the famous bread which the
Dchiahour had brought us, and which we expended with the
utmost parsimony. A draught of cold water should have been,
according to our previous plan, the complement of our feast; but
the only water attainable on this mountain was affected with an
insupportable stench. We were fain, therefore, to have recourse
to the decoction of baked beans, a dreadfully insipid fluid, but for
which, notwithstanding, we were charged extortionately.

The cold was by no means so severe as we had expected from
the season of the year and the great elevation of the mountain.
In the afternoon, indeed, the weather was quite mild ; by-and-by,
the sky was overcast, and snow fell. As we were obliged to
descend the mountain on foot, we soon got absolutely hot, in the
peq^etual struggle, of a very laborious kind, to keep from rolling
down the slippeiy path. One of our- camels fell twice, but happily
in each instance he was stayed by a rock from tumbling over the
mountain's side.

Having placed behind us the formidable Ping-Keou, we took
up our lodging in the village of the Old Duck {Lao-Ya-Fou). Here

290 TEAVELS IN TARTAR Y,

we found a system of heating in operation different from that of
Ho-Kiao-Y. The kangs here are ^yarmed, not with dried horse-
dung, but with coal-dust, reduced to paste, and then formed into
bricks ; turf is also used for the purpose. We had hitherto imagined
that knitting was unknown in China; the village of the Old Duck
removed this misconception from our minds, and enabled us,
indeed, to remove it from the minds of the Chinese themselves in
other parts of the empire. We found here in every street men,
not women, occupied in this species of industry. ïlieir productions
are wholly without taste or delicacy of execution ; they merely knit
coarse cotton into shapeless stocldngs, like sacks, or sometimes
gloves, without any separation for the fingers, and merely a place
for the thumb, the knitting needles being small canes of bamboo.
It was for us a singular spectacle to see parties of moustachiod men
sitting before the door of their houses in the sun, knitting, sewing,
and chattering like so many female gossips; it looked quite like a
burlesque upon the manners of Europe.

In-om Lao-Ya-Pou to Si-Ning-Fou was five days march; on the
second day we passed through Ning-Pey-Hien, a town of the third
order. Outside the western gate, we stopped at an inn to take our
morning meal ; a great many travellers were already assembled in
the large kitchen, occupying the tables which were ranged along
the walls ; in the centre of the room were several furnaces, where
the innkeeper, his wife, several children, and some servants were
actively preparing the dishes required by the guests. While every
body seemed occupied, either in thepreparation or in the consumption
of victuals, a loud cry was heard. It was the hostess, thus express-
ing the pain occasioned by a knock on her head, which the husband
had administered with a shovel. At the cry, all the travellers looked
in the direction whence it proceeded; the woman retreated, with
vehement vociferations, to a corner of the kitchen; the innkeeper
explained to the company that he had been compelled to correct
his wife for insolence, insubordinatiou, and an indifference to the
interests of the establishment, which eminently compromised its
prosperity. Before he had finished his version of the story, the
wife, from her retreat in the corner, commenced her's; she informed
the company that her husband was an idle vagabond, who passed
his time in drinking and smoking, expending the result of her la-
bours for a wliole month in a few days of brandy and tobacco.
During this extempore performance, the audience remained imper-
turbably calm, giving not the smallest indication of approbation
or disapprobation. At length the wife issued from her retreat, and
advanced with a sort of challenging air to the "husband: "Since
I am a wicked woman," cried she, ".you must kill me. Come, kill

THIBET, AND CHINA. 291

mc!" and so saying, she drew herself up with a gesture of vast
dramatic dignity immediately in front of the husband. The latter
did not adopt the suggestion to kill her, hut he gave her a formid-
able box on the ear, which sent her back, screaming at tlie pitch of
her voice, into her previous comer. Hereupon, the audience burst
into loud laughter; but the affair, which seemed to them so diverting,
soon took a very serious turn. After the most tenible abuse on the
one hand, and the most awful threats on the other, the innkeeper at
length drew his girdle tight about his waist, and twisted his tress of
hair about his head, in token of some decided proceeding. " Since
you will have me kill you," cried he, " I will kill you !" and so
saying, he took from the fiu'uace a pair of long iron tongs, and
rushed furiously upon his wife. Everybody at once rose and shouted ;
the neighbours ran in, and all present endeavoured to separate the
combatants, but they did not effect the object until the woman's
face was covered with blood, and her hair was all down about her
shoulders. Then a man of ripe years, who seemed to exercise some
authority in the house, gravely pronounced these words by way of
epilogue: "How! what!" said he, "husband and wife fighting
thus ! and in presence of their children, in j)resence of a crowd of
travellers!" These words, repeated three or four times, in a tone
which expressed at once indignation and authority, had a marvellous
effect. Almost immediately afterwards the guests resumed their
dinner, the hostess fried cakes in nut-oil, and the host silently
smoked his pipe.

T^Tien we were about to depart, the innkeeper, in summing up
our account, coolly inserted fifty sapeks for the animals which we
had tied up in the court-yard during our meal. He had evidently
an idea of making us pay eji Tartare. Samdadchiemba was indig-
nant. " Do you think," asked he, " that we Dchiahours don't
know the rules of inns ? Where did you ever hear of making
people pay for fastening their animals to a jieg in the wall? Tell
me, master publican, how many sapeks are you going to charge us
for the comedy we've just witnessed of the innkeeper and his wife?"
The burst of laughter on the part of the bystanders which liailed
this sarcasm carried the day triumphantly for Samdadchiemba,
and we departed without paying anything beyond our personal
ex2:>enses.

The road thence to Si-Xing-Fou, generally well made and well
kept, meanders through a fertile and well cultivated country, pic-
turesquely diversified by trees, hills, and numerous streams.
Tobacco is the staple of the district. W'e saw on our way several
water-mills, remarkable for their simplicity, as is the case with all
Chinese works. In these mills, the upper story is stationary.

292 TRAVELS IN TAETARY,

while the lower is turned hy means of a single wheel, kept in
motion hy the current. To work these mills, though they are
frequently of large proportions, a very small stream suffices, as the
stream plays upon the wheel in the form of a cascade, at least
twenty feet higli.

On the day hefore arriving at Si-Ning-Fou, we passed over a
road extremely laborious, and so dangerously rugged that it sug-
gested frequent recommendations of ourselves to the protection of
the Divine Providence. Our course was amid enormous rocks,
beside a deep, fierce cuiTent, the tumultuous waves of which roared
beneath us. There was the gulf perpetually yawning to swallow us
up, should we make but one false step; we trembled, above all, for
our camels, awkward and lumbering as they were, whenever they
had to pass over an uneven road. At length, thanks to the good-
ness of God, we aiTived without accident at Si-Ning. The town
is of very large extent, but its populr^tion is limited, and itself,
in several parts, is falling into absolute decay. The history of the
matter is, that its commerce has been in great measure intercepted
by Tang-KeoLi-Eul, a small town on the banks of the Keou-Ho, on
the frontier which separates Kan-Sou from Koukou-Noor.

It is the custom, we may say the rule, at Si-Ning-Fou, not to
receive strangers, such as the Tartars, Thibetians, and others, into
the inns, but to relegate them to establishments called Houses of
Eepose [Sie-Kia), into which no other travellers are admitted. We
proceeded accordingly to one of these Houses of Repose, where we
were exceedingly well entertained. The Sie-Kia difler from other
inns in this important paiticular, that the guests are boarded,
lodged, and served there gratuitously. Commerce being the lead-
ing object of travellers hither, the chiefs of the Sie-Kia indemnify
themselves for their outlay by a recognised per centage upon all
the goods which their guests buy or sell. 'J"he persons who keep
these Houses of Eepose have first to procure a license from the
authorities of the town, for which they pay a certain sum, greater
or less, accoixling to the character of the commercial men who are
expected to frequent the house. In outward show, the guests are
well-treated, but still they are quite at the mercy ot the landlords,
who, having an understanding with the traders of the town, manage
to make money of both parties.

When we, indeed, departed from Si-Ning-Fou, the Sie-Kia with
Avhom we had lodged had made nothing by us in the ordinary way,
for we had neither bought nor sold anything. However, as it
would have been preposterous and unjust on our part to have lived
thus at the expense of our neighbours, Ave paid the host of the
House of Eepose for what we had had, at the ordinary tavern rate.

TEIIIÎET, AND CHINA.

293

After crossmg several torrents, as(;endmg many rocky hills,
and twice passing tlie Great Wall, we arrived at Tang-Keou-
Eul. It was now January, and nearly four montlis had elapsed
since our departure from the Valley of Dark Waters. Tang-
Keou-Eul is a small town, but veiy populous, very animated,
and very full of business. It is a regular tower of Babel,
wherein you find collected Eastern Thibetians, Hoiing-Mao-Eul
(Long-haired Folk), Elents, Kolos, Chinese, Tartars from the Blue
Sea, and Mussulmans, descended from the ancient migrations from
Turkestan. Everything in the town bears the imjiress of violence,
îsoliody walks the streets without a great sabre at his side, and
^Ylthout atiëcting, at least, a fierce determination to use it on the
shortest notice. Not an hour passes without some street combat.

if^^ 'J.

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